


Monster I Have Become

by mamamittens



Category: Underswap (Fandom), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: About Monsters and Souls, Adoption, Anxiety, Bodily transformation/horror, Family of Choice, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I chose Underswap because i needed small doses of happy that is US!Sans, I promise it gets better, Implied/Referenced Cannibalism, It's not pleasant, May experience intense friendship, Not everyone will be swapped, Not intended for romance, OC becomes a monster, Supernatural Elements, Wendigos don't eat Cherrios, body issues, filled with headcanons, just main cast, that's for damn sure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2018-07-15 23:17:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 71,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7242865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mamamittens/pseuds/mamamittens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Look who made another story before finishing other projects?</p><p>Sasha doesn't remember what happened during the months that are missing from her memory, but she knows she missed a lot. The effects from that time will change her forever, but as hard as it is to accept her new life, she's not sure she'd ever want to go back. But dark elements are moving, and she won't be able to hide within ignorance for long. Not if she wants to save the new family she's made. Not if she wants justice.</p><p>Contains a plethora of headcannons about Monsters, Magic, and Souls, and my understanding of Underswap characters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fresh From the Grave

**Author's Note:**

> If you get sick easily, feel free to take a break. Copious amounts of blood is present, but not due to violence. I know I felt... uncomfortable writing all that unpleasantness.

            There were quite a few abandoned shops in my hometown. One of the problems with living in a slowly failing small town economy. I was just out for a walk when I smelled something strange. A stomach churningly sweet scent wrapped around me, everything becoming a blur as I stumbled against the brick wall. It wasn’t hot out today, quite cool for June actually, so why…? My eyes slid shut before my whole body snapped to attention. I didn’t know where I was. Before, I felt sick and dizzy, now I was just confused and aching.

            My feet stumbled forward out of an alley (where were my shoes? And what happened to my clothes?) as the sounds of city life surrounded me. I seemed to be in some sort of business district, a few booths lining the roads outside of shops, but not all of them occupied. Actually, it was pretty deserted. I stepped forward again, wrinkling my nose at how… dirty I felt in what appeared to be white hospital scrubs. A cold breeze swept by, making me glad for the heavy jacket I seemed to be wearing and what felt like a hunting cap. My hand shook as I felt the ratty material of my jacket and hat, which were somehow cleaner than the scrubs but also smelled even worse. Distantly, my thoughts slowing down like molasses, I wondered why I was completely bald.

            I don’t know what happened, but the first thing I need to do is get help. Surely someone can explain what happened to me? My eyes locked onto the manned booth closest to me. About twelve feet away was a nice little pine booth selling what looked like bunny shaped peeps but my nose could smell cinnamon rather than sugar. The… person _behind_ the booth seemed to be a hallucination of some kind. How else would there be a dark purple bunny in a cute straw hat be there? I just hoped I was hallucinating their appearance and not their presence, or the first place I’ll likely find myself in is a loony bin. I stumbled over to the booth, the bunny’s ears twitching as she (I’m assuming the curves indicated the bunny was female) noticed me. Her ears flicked back in shock. I tried to smile like I was just lost and not a potential kidnap victim.

            “H-Hello, I’m s-sorry to… to bother you, but could you tell me where I am?” I swallowed dryly and tried not to lean against her booth.

            “Oh my! Are you quite alright?” I blinked a little, trying to piece together her words. I _know_ she spoke English, but my mind was slow in reacting.

            “Y-Y-Yeah… I think. I just seem… lost…” Completely unconvinced, the rabbit huffed and crossed her arms again.

            “You’re in the Newer Home District of Ebott.” I frowned, trying to connect the location in my head.

            “I… I’m afraid I’ve never heard of that—this place? Are you sure?” I shook my head, “No, t-t-that’s silly of me. ‘Course you… you… you know where you… are.” My mind felt like it was slipping and the world tilted a little bit.

            “…UMAN?! A-A-ARE YOU ALRIGHT, HUMAN?!” I looked up (when did I look down? Why was I on my knees?) at the concerned rabbit and felt something drip down my lips. My tongue swept over my top lip and tasted iron… blood. I placed the back of my hand against my nose, feeling the warm substance start to gush. My whole body seemed to shake as I removed my jacket to stem the flow.

            “I’m ‘o ‘orry ‘bout that… I don’… don’ feel good…” My arms gave out as I fell into the concrete, my face buried in the bloody jacket.

            “OH SWEET DELTA!” I distantly felt tremors wrack my body as soft hands lifted me up from the jacket before I could suffocate in my own blood, “I-I THINK YOU NEED A DOCTOR!” My eyes stung as a bright light filtered through. I frowned up at the strangely lighted silhouette above me. Her body was obscured in shadow, but her chest radiated with light from… an upside down heart? It was completely light but gave off a soft green smoke.

            “…pretty… but why is it… upside down, bunny-lady?” She looked away from the phone that suddenly appeared in her hand, her face seeming to scrunch up in confusion, “The little white… heart with green stuff.” I clarified helpfully. She seemed incredibly shocked before pressing button frantically on her phone.

            “Are you telling me that you can _see_ my _Soul_ , human?” I frowned.

            “…Right there, bunny-lady. H-How could… could I not?” I said, my arm not obeying the stern command to point at her chest, twitching uselessly at my side instead. She seemed to ignore me for the distant voice on the phone. My eyes began to drift shut again as I grimaced at the unpleasant sensation of blood running down my neck and back.

            “Yes, I need an ambulance immediately, a human female has—I know this is a monster hospital, but she could see my _Soul_! I don’t think the humans can help her! Yes, that’s what I said! I’m feeding her a Cinna-Bunny right now, hopefully that’ll keep her stable.” I felt something warm and oddly grainy being pressed against my lips, “Come on, sweetie! Open up!” My nose twitched at the strong smell of cinnamon. A furry paw gripped my chin and forced my mouth open. The moment it touched my tongue a warm feeling ran down my throat and the world sharpened. When I tried to bite down, there was nothing there. For several moments I thought everything was going to okay. Then a felt it. A shaking sensation in my chest and I could almost hear the cracking sound as something warm and vital flooded my body. But something wasn’t right. This warm feeling of self wasn’t supposed to do that. I could feel it, like some primal instinct.

“Nonononono… Make it stop… Put it back…” Tears poured from my eyes as the blood started to run thickly from my nose again and what felt like bile and blood surged up my throat. I jerked away from the bunny-lady and heaved. There wasn’t much there, but I definitely saw fresh blood. The bunny-lady gasped and ran what felt like a thumb across the back of my neck.

            “Oh Delta, hold on! Help is on the way, okay?” I heard her hiss into the phone, “There’s a bar-code and numbers on her nape and she reacted strongly to Monster food. I think someone’s been experimenting on humans!” I shook weakly as I let the blood continue to drip down in a puddle, a strong, furry arm keeping me from face planting into the mess. I heard her phone snap shut and she began to rub my back. I could feel the sobs wracking my body as electrics jolts of pain spread inside me.

            “M-M-Make it s-stop, please!” I whined as another mouthful of blood came out of my mouth. All I could taste and smell was blood. Her hand—paw?—froze before continuing the comforting sweeps across my back.

            “Shhh! I know this isn’t looking good, but you’re going to be alright! W-Why don’t you tell me your name? Mine is Brio, what’s yours?” I let another heavy mouthful of blood fall down, starting to feel dizzy once again.

            “…S-Sasha.” I tried to keep my breathing steady as a distant siren began closing in. A small scream ripped through my throat as I felt my insides begin to burn, not that the scream lasted long with another burst of blood coming out.

            “That’s a lovely name, Sasha. Can you remember what happened to you?” I whined a little as the ambulance got closer.

            “N-No… I was there, now I’m here… nothing makes sense… everything _hurts_. I-I just want it t-to stop!” Brio ran her hand across my back again as what sounded like a truck stopped beside us. Doors slammed as feet pounded against the concrete.

            “She’s been coughing up blood— _so much blood, how’s she still awake?!_ And she can’t remember what happened.” I felt a warm and soft—like it was covered in fur? Oh. Right.—caress the side of my face.

            “Delta--! We’ve got it from here, Brio. I’ll call you if… anything happens.” A different set of hands started to lift me as I began to drift. I whined a little as flashes of yellow and blue caught my eye. And then everything— _finally_ —went black.

\--That was thoroughly unpleasant.—

            Dr. Poppy was completely out of his league here. On the outside, the patient appeared human, but _inside_ was a whole other matter. He didn’t know if he should be fascinated or completely disgusted. It was like a bomb went off in there. He didn’t have the years of training in human medicine that would normally be required to treat a human (as per the very reasonable newly minted law stated), but whatever ‘Sasha’ was before… they weren’t anymore.

            The only thing more disgusting, or perhaps chill inducing, was the state of their Soul. It seems to have sparked this whole process in a desperate attempt to save itself, liquefying the innards for digestion and beginning to make changes to the outside as well. Whatever sick and twisted individual experimented on the poor thing completely messed with the natural order. You were either born human, monster, or whatever other creature. The end. You _were not_ _supposed to change species_. And as such, Sasha will only suffer for it. Any attempt to heal with magic only made the process go faster, which was probably a good thing since it was undoubtedly painful. But he, nor the rest of the staff, will take the choice away from her. Not after all this. The moment she woke up and was briefed on the situation, they’d give her the rather poor choice. Slow and painful transformation or fast.

            But, in the meantime, the Queen needed to know about this. As of right now, ‘Sasha’s’ condition was confidential. No one would be allowed around her room unless given explicit permission. If someone can trigger a transformation into a monster, then they’d likely be able to do the reverse with more research. Chances are the Queen will assign Dr. Undyne and her wife Alphys to the case. Dr. Poppy felt ashamed that the idea brought him relief. Assuming Sasha survives the transformation, she’ll have a very long road to recovery from an emotional standpoint. Monsters are, after all, incredibly in tune with their Soul… and Sasha’s is incredibly compromised.


	2. Decisions, Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More uncomfortable bodily fluid talks here. So... read at your own pace.

            Everything felt wrong when I woke up. It was like I was too heavy and a dull pain settled heavily in every part of my body. A rather oddly shaped doctor was standing next to my bed with a clipboard. In fact, he looked rather like a light green chameleon. My mind tried to make sense of what I was seeing, briefly flashing back to Brio, the purple rabbit lady. So… I _wasn’t_ hallucinating? The chameleon doctor sighed heavily before glancing at me, and then back again when he realized I was awake. He almost jumped he seemed so startled.

            “Oh! Hello, Sasha, I am Dr. Poppy. You are in the Monster hospital, Delta’s Cross. You are in a very…” he tilted his head, searching for a word to use, “ _delicate_ situation right now. Do you know the current date?” I frowned, feeling an oxygen mask move over my face.

            “… I’ve been out… for a while… haven’t I?” It felt like an uphill battle to speak, let alone breathe, but Dr. Poppy let me speak at my own pace, “I remember… it was June… and I was in my… hometown… then I… wasn’t? What happened… to me?” Dr. Poppy frowned and wrote something down on his board.

            “That’s almost four months of missing time for you, I’m afraid.” He paused, considering something, “Tell me… are you confused about my appearance?” I nodded.

            “Yes… you are… referring to… how you look… like a… chameleon, right? And… Brio… was a rabbit… a purple rabbit… am I crazy?” Dr. Poppy’s lips twitched into a smile.

            “No, but you _are_ handling this very well. I assume that whatever happened to you took place before the twenty-third of June?” I nodded.

            “Yes… it was the… eighteenth, I think? And what good… would screaming do? That would… be really rude… of me… just because… you look different.” I felt exhausted already, Dr. Poppy writing down another note on his clipboard.

            “That’s a very refreshing attitude, Sasha. I wish I could allow you to rest, but a very heavy decision must be made. You see, whatever happened to you in those four months has caused some very… dire consequences for you. On the twenty-third of June, Monsters officially came out of hiding after being imprisoned under Mt. Ebott for centuries. A Monster is, in the loosest of terms, a creature capable of and made from magic and dust.” Dr. Poppy shifted on his feet, “You see… on the back of your neck is a barcode and a series of numbers. Whoever took you experimented on your body, and perhaps your Soul—which is a real entity, by the way, but yours is too unstable to show right now. Whatever experiments occurred has caused a chain reaction in your own body. Slowly, but surely, you are turning into a Monster, like Brio or even myself. As we speak, your organs are collapsing, lingering magic breaking down almost everything and taking the place of said organs. I could walk out of this room right now and come back tomorrow, and it would still be happening. There is no stopping this process, or reversing it… _but_ , if you wish to skip the painful process this will, without a doubt, be, then I can pour magic through your system. It is difficult to say how long it will take, maybe an hour, or perhaps a few days, but it will be… better than this slow process. I’d recommend speeding it up, but I will not take away your choice.” I felt like I was going into shock.

            In the span of fifteen minutes I’m told Monsters are real, they’re a race that was sealed under a mountain for centuries, that I was kidnapped and experimented on, and that I was becoming a Monster as we speak. How could I even begin to make a decision?! If it wasn’t so hard to breathe, I’d be hyperventilating by now.

            “I-I-I c-can’t… can’t…” tremors wracked my body as I began to cry out. Panicked, Dr. Poppy reached out and grabbed my hand, his skin scaly but soft and warm. It was grounding me in reality but I still felt like I was drifting out at sea.

            “I am so sorry, Sasha… I _know_ this cannot be an easy situation for you. The… procedure can wait a while longer, if you wish for some more time. If you want, I can see if I can contact your relatives, if you have any? Or perhaps friends?” I shook my head.

            “I-I-I don’t… have any friends… and I’d rather… not call my… parents here… without looking into… this a little more.” He nodded.

            “Perhaps that is for the best… you’re in a delicate situation right now, Sasha. And I’m afraid that an attitude like yours is quite… rare. Perhaps you’d like for me to call Brio? She’s been rather worried. I know you don’t really know her, but any friendly face is better than none at all.” I paused a moment and nodded, “I’ll go make the call. Try and get some rest, alright?” I nodded and tried not to cry out when his hand left my own, blunt claws gently scrapping my palm. I closed my eyes and tried to remain calm. Panicking won’t help anything.

            I was rather surprised that he didn’t push for my parents to be called, since I was a minor… perhaps it was because I wasn’t entirely human anymore, so parental permission doesn’t apply anymore? I fell into a fitful sleep, my nightmares focusing on liquefying organs and a burning pain that never really stopped.

            I was jerked out of my nightmare by a warm and fuzzy hand brushing over my face. I looked over to see Brio smiling gently down at me. She sat down and took my hand.

            “Hey, sleepyhead. Dr. Poppy told me about… about the choice you have to make… well, as much of a choice as it _can be_. I bet you have a few other questions though, don’t you?” I nodded and licked my dry lips.

            “Why am I… being asked? I’m a… minor still?” Brio’s nose twitched, whiskers moving slightly.

            “Well, if this was a normal occurrence, the human laws would probably still apply, but technically you aren’t… well, human anymore. But you aren’t a Monster just yet either. It’s very… gray. And it’s not like your Soul can handle any serious blows right now. If we _were_ to call your parents and they turn out to be… less than favorable to Monsters you might… well, it wouldn’t turn out well, let’s just say that. Your Soul is still strong, it’s primarily human right now after all, but it’s like…” Brio leaned back a little, “You saw my Soul earlier, right? It had a definite shape, but since I’m a Monster, it’s white and upside-down, as you said. The green you saw was actually my magic. Your Soul, however… it’s like a ball of yarn, only a cat played with it, and it’s just a mass of yarn. All over the place. It’s a bit busy and can’t settle on _any_ color. Any serious emotional blow could just… permanently damage you right now. So, you won’t be going anywhere or getting many visitors until we’re sure you’re stable. Alright?” I nodded.

            “O-Okay… Brio?” She hummed, her ha—paw, squeezing gently, “I’m… scared. I don’t… don’t want to change…”

            “Oh, sweetie…” She seemed uncertain of what to say, “It’s not so bad as a Monster, and you won’t be alone. I promise you that. I can’t blame you for being scared… to be honest, I’m not sure I’d be as calm if I were you. This is a very… unpleasant situation to be in—“ A cough came from the doorway. Dr. Poppy stood there awkwardly.

            “I’m sorry to disturb you, but we just got some test results in that you need to hear.” He shuffled into the room, “I’m afraid you’re going to need a Soul donor. Brio explained a little about your Soul’s condition, correct? Well, your Soul started out as a human Soul and when it’s finished… it will try and go back to its natural shape. But, a Monster body just isn’t _built_ to handle the strength of a human Soul. A human Soul very rarely makes magic, but certainly not the kind needed to run a Monster body smoothly. So, you Soul will try and keep its original shape, despite being unable to support it.” My head was starting to hurt a little. Brio noticed and shook her head.

            “Honestly, not everyone has a doctorates in Monster medicine.” She turned towards me and made a heart shape with her paws, “You see, a Soul’s shape is more like… a shell. _Inside_ is everything you are. Your emotions and personality… it just shines through the shell, creating a particular color in humans. A Monster’s… shell, so to speak, is upside-down because we don’t have the same intensity of emotions and traits. In a human Soul, these emotions act like… helium, but a Monster Soul focuses more on making magic than manufacturing emotions. So, since the ‘top’ part has more ‘shell’, it goes downward, rather than upward. A Monster Soul is ‘weaker’ but it makes magic, which is our greatest strength. You can’t have a Monster body and a human Soul at the same time… does that… make sense?” My head was sort of grasping the concept, but it would probably be a while before I fully understood.

            “What do I… need a… Soul ‘donor’ for?” Dr. Poppy gasped.

            “Right, well, if we take a small sample of a Monster Soul and introduce it to yours, it will show your Soul the proper… structure it needs to take, rather than falling back on its own. Emotional connection is the key, though. Sort of like how humans need a specific match for organ donation… only with emotions.” Ah… but I only know two Monsters…, “It will also very likely create a bond. Nothing major, I swear! Your Souls will just register as… related. Think of it as… supernatural adoption?” He finished lamely. Brio rolled her eyes.

            “ _Which_ , you will probably need, since your Soul will then need to mature. Monsters don’t have… ‘age groups’ like humans. Not according to physical size or years. Instead, we go by Soul Maturity. Monsters that are ‘children’ wears stripes, just so everyone knows they can’t use magic with any real regularity. It’s the better option to yanking out their Soul to check. Much safer, too.” I frowned a little. This was _a lot_ of information. I kind of just wanted to get it over with and damn the consequences. I nodded my head.

            “I’d like… to get it over… with… but the… donation? I’m…” I wasn’t sure how to finish my sentence. Brio, incredibly good at understanding me so far, took my hand.

            “If you don’t mind… I’ll go ahead and do it.” I was shocked. I mean, she was just about my only option, but _still_ , “My sister has a butt-load of kids already. Always knew I’d end up adopting. I just can’t stand most of the cocky guys looking for a—Never mind. So… what do you say?” I felt a small burst of warmth inside and smiled.

            “Thank you… will I… be awake for… it?” I don’t imagine it would feel very good, even if it only takes an hour. Dr. Poppy and Brio shook their heads.

            “Oh, Delta no! We’ll keep you under for as long as it takes. To be honest… I’m kind of glad you decided so quickly. The reason you were… _expelling_ so much blood is because Monsters… well, they don’t really have _physical_ organs like humans do. Your magic… or Soul… it can break it down but… _well, where else would it go but out_? Monsters don’t actually need to use the bathroom, because our bodies are so efficient, or rather, our magic is. But we don’t really… _self-cannibalize_ and—“

            “Okay, doctor! Why don’t you go on ahead and get things ready, huh? I think she’s learned _more_ than enough for one day.” Dr. Poppy blushed, his scales rippling a rainbow of color.

            “Ah! Y-Yes… my apologies. I’ll just… uhm… _go_.” Brio seemed to click her tongue at the flustered doctor. She turned back to me and smiled.

            “Everything will be alright. You won’t be alone.” I faintly smiled back, trying to shift in my bed. I looked down, finally noticing that I wasn’t in those god-awful scrubs anymore, but rather, a plain white hospital gown. A soft white blanket covered most of my body but… I tilted my head a little. My feet were pointed up and it sort of… looked like they were… bigger? I shook my head. I really didn’t want to think about it right now.

            “Thank you, Brio…” She huffed a little.

            “No need to thank me, missy. Why don’t you go ahead and go to sleep now? When you wake up next, it’ll all be over.” Her soft paw stroked over my fingers as I closed my eyes and drifted away. I’ll probably have a mental breakdown later, but with any luck, I’ll at least be able to move by then.

\--How about someone else for a while?—

            Brio fretted over Sasha for a bit, adjusting the blankets and checking on the only monitor that would work. The Soul monitor showed a small and frantically beating heart with low energy levels. If she hadn’t of given Sasha a Cinna-Bunny with that small amount of healing magic… she probably would have died by now. She wasn’t her sister, who ran the inn with her kids back in Snowdin, but she still had mothering instincts. How could she possibly ignore the very pale, small, and fragile looking human stumbling out of an alley, appearing as though she crawled her way out of a shallow grave. She had no doubt that, once she adjusted and was no longer in shock, Sasha would be a ball of angst. But she never backed away from a challenge before…and she had a promise to keep.

            “I have the equipment… oh, she’s asleep. Well, that’s probably for the best. Do you want to do this right here or…?” Dr. Poppy asked as he held up a syringe. Brio shrugged her shoulders.

            “Might as well do it now… be honest with me, doc… will she be alright? Physically?” Dr. Poppy froze and nervously shuffled his feet.

            “Well… it’s difficult to tell. This has _never_ happened before… but assuming there aren’t any complications… and she takes the rehabilitation well… I think she’ll be fine. The biggest worry is what her stats will be after she wakes up. By all rights, she _should_ have pretty solid stats, but we don’t know what she went through. And she cannot remember. It may be a while before she can go home with you… assuming she doesn’t reach out to contact her previous family." Brio frowned as Dr. Poppy gently called out her Soul and removed a small amount before pushing it back in. She felt a little dizzy, but no worse for wear. Dr. Poppy placed the syringe on the table and signaled for two assistants to help push Sasha into the operation room.

            “Why are you moving her?” Dr. Poppy’s assistants, two cat Monsters, looked queasy.

            “Well, there’s still the matter of what’s left of her… human tissue. We’re not sure if we can just… _drain_ it or if the entirety of her body will break down as well. So… we’re taking her to one of the few rooms with a drain in it…” Dr. Poppy said, looking particularly pale. Not that she blamed him. Human anatomy was… something else. She didn’t envy the team that would see her through the procedure… not one bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You made it! I feel so clever naming the Snowdin Shop Keeper Brio, as in Brioche (a type of dough, which comes from the word for female rabbit). I didn't switch the shop keeper and innkeeper, because I didn't see the point really. I'm also not touching the weird evil temmie thing with a twenty foot pole. Oh, but Gaster's here, because I like the idea of him and River Person switching. Besides that, I can't really think of anything else. Oh, if you have any comments, concerns, or recommendations, please do comment. If you have a recommendation for a new tag (as I cannot find a word to describe what Sasha will experience for quite a while), then please do share.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I promise Underswap characters in either the next chapter, or the one after that! Probably Undyne, Toriel, and /maybe/ Alphys.


	3. Better Get Used to Being a Foxy Lady

            Almost three days of careful observation and magic injection had gone by. There were a few close calls, but with Dr. Undyne watching over the progression of the patient’s Soul, it went better than expected. Several times the staff had to switch out from either exhaustion or nausea. The Queen was to be informed as soon as the transformation was finished and the patient awake. The implications of experimentation involving magic and monsters was chilling indeed.

            Dr. Undyne herself was quite proud of the hours of long work she put in to ensure the continued survival and optimal health, the finished product being more than worth it. Originally, the ‘human’ measured at one hundred and fifteen pounds and five foot three inches. After the process was finished, Sasha now weighed twelve pounds (most of the weight coming from an organic support structure rather than magic) and would stand at a maximum of two foot eight, if the ears were taken into account. This, of course, was only right now. It was entirely possible that Sasha would continue to grow, but there was no way of knowing for sure.

            It was actually quite fascinating how quickly the Soul… _mass_ gathered into a proper form after all the changes were finished. The Soul beat slowly, clearly exhausted, and it would likely be quite some time before the Soul started maturing. So, naturally, Sasha was to be given a striped shirt as soon as possible. It warmed her scales to see how relieved Brio was that her new adopted… child? Niece? Well, that _Sasha_ was alright. Who knows? She might even wake up tomorrow!

\--So much thought was put into this, holy hell.—

            I felt like I went on an extreme exercising routine. Everything ached but felt relieved at the same time. I also felt lighter and much warmer than normal. I opened my eyes to familiar walls, immediately sensing that something was different. At first, I didn’t get what was off. Everything seemed clearer, sure, but I also wasn’t in pain anymore. I took a deep breath, happy to finally breathe without struggle, and then I spotted it. A pointy black nose… at the tip of a white snout, right in the middle of my vision. Usually, no one notices their nose, since it never moves and the brain just ignores it. But this was the first time I was seeing this… how much changed?

            Experimentally, I moved each part of my body, not quite ready to actually see it. I still had all my fingers and toes, my feet felt… different but still intact, and I could definitely feel something underneath my ass. Not to mention my ears seemed… higher than normal, more sensitive, and very twitchy. My breathing hitched and I tried to think past the blind panic that threatened to overwhelm me.

            It’s fine. Everything is going to be fine. What do you know? Well, Monsters are made of magic and seem to be like bipedal animals. Good. I let out the breath I had been holding and ignored the fact that I couldn’t feel my heartbeat. What else? I have a tail (my tongue felt mostly sharp teeth), I seem to be some type of predator, and I clearly have a snout. Good. Good… what animal do I know of that has these traits? Dogs, mostly, but also raccoons, foxes, and wolves… that was about all I could think of without looking at my body. It was time to put my big girl panties on and face the music.

            Shakily, I moved my relatively weak body into a sitting position and looked down at my hands. Their form didn’t change too much, aside from being covered in pure white fur with salt and pepper ‘fingerless gloves’, but the pads of my fingers and palm were exposed and a dark black color. I also had slightly blunt claws rather than fingernails. I swallowed heavily and looked down the length of my arms. Aside from the fur, my body structure hasn’t really changed much. I looked at my chest, but short of groping myself, I couldn’t tell if I still had boobs or just really fluffy chest fur. Of course, I also seemed quite a bit smaller than the last time I was awake, so the fluff was probably quite normal for my childish size. I was about to move the blanket when the door opened up.

            “—really getting worried, how much longer will she be asleep, Dr. Undyne?” I looked over and saw Brio walking in with a… scaly blue mermaid looking lady with striking red hair pulled into a pony tail and dressed in a lab coat. I was a little startled at how Dr. Undyne’s sclera was completely yellow with black irises, but it wasn’t all that scary somehow, maybe because her face seemed so kind?

            “Oh, hello Sasha! I’m Dr. Undyne, my specialties are in engineering and Souls. How are you feeling?” I swallowed a little harshly. Wasn’t that a loaded question?

            “W-Well… sore, mostly. And really weird. Like I’m about to panic.” I replied honestly. Dr. Undyne adjusted her glasses and nodded. Brio moved to my side and held my hand… or would it be a paw now?

            “Yeah, I can’t really blame you there. It _will_ take some getting used to. I see you can sit up, but how do you feel about walking?” I looked down at my still covered legs, “It’s been about four days and you could probably use a shower. Bathroom breaks are no longer necessary… at least, they _shouldn’t_ be. And a shower will let you… reacquaint yourself with your new body.” It did sound like a good idea. Then it hit me. Chances are, I was _completely_ covered in fur. I grimaced.

            “Ugh… brushing’s going to take _forever_ now.” Dr. Undyne and Brio laughed.

            “Don’t worry, I promise that Monster’s don’t shed as _near as much_ as we appear to.” I should hope not. Cleaning would be a pain in the ass if that was the case. I grabbed onto the blanket and whipped it off, getting my first look at my new legs. _Well then… that’s really different_. Deciding to not speak, just in case it triggers a breakdown, I carefully swung my legs off the bed. They were completely white, save for ashen looking ‘socks’ around the area that used to be my feet, leaving my toes white as well. Clutching Brio’s paw, I gingerly tried to step down, concentrating on stretching my legs to the floor since the hospital bed was pretty high up, only to pitch to the side. If Dr. Undyne hadn’t of been there, I likely would have fallen onto the floor. I wheezed a little as I realized my mistake. Funnily enough, it wasn't my failure to adjust to my new height. Rather, I had tried to walk as a human, rather than the… digitigrade creature I now was, meaning I should put my weight on my toes, not anywhere else.

            “Haha… my bad. Forgot I was a digitigrade now… let’s try that again.” I put the pads of my feet on the floor, the cold tile barely noticeable, and stood up.

            “Great job, Sasha! You catch on quickly!” I smiled at the compliment from Dr. Undyne but quickly frowned. Why did it feel like part of me was still on the bed? I turned my hand and spotted the long and fluffy white tail with a black stripe down the middle. Right. I had a tail now. It felt weird to just sort of… slide it off the bed, my tail tucking itself between my legs. It really was quite long, almost touching the floor, but I was sort of crouched anyway.

            “Okay… where’s the shower at again?” I asked uncertainly, feeling my ears pin down to my skull. Dr. Undyne carefully patted my back.

            “Just over here. It has a seat in it so you don’t have to stand. You’ll probably be weak for a while, but you’re doing beautifully so far. Do you want Brio to help or would you rather go at it alone?” Dr. Undyne asked. I hoped my face was covered in enough fur to hide my blush.

            “Ah, I t-think I can do it. Am I going to change into something else or just this?” now that I think about it, how exactly are clothes going to work out? Shirts won’t be a problem, but I’m not too sure about pants right now. Digitigrade legs have a rather weird bending to them. Brio chuckled a little.

            “Well, you’re just a little bit smaller than I was as a child, so some of my old clothes will work. I brought… capris, underwear, and two different striped shirts. One is a sweater and the other has short sleeves, since I was unsure which you’d prefer. I also brought a brush.” Slowly but surely, we made it to the bathroom about six feet away.

            “Just call out to Brio if you need anything. I need to go look over some lab results. Take your time, alright?” I nodded, letting go of Dr. Undyne’s hand to grip the bathroom counter, studiously avoiding the mirror until I was alone. Brio gestured to the bag next to the sink.

            “Everything you need to get dressed in is in there. They have all the stuff you need inside, labeled and everything. I’ll just be waiting out here, alright?” I nodded.

            “Thanks Brio… for everything.” I felt my lips twitch into a smile and Brio smiled back, closing the door behind her.

            The bathroom was quite nice. Very utilitarian, but not so much that there wasn’t any room. I noticed there was a toilet (for whatever reason if Monsters’ didn’t… _go_ ), and the room was very nicely tiled with salmon pink and white. I was, of course, putting off looking at my reflection though. And I knew it. I pushed the thoughtfully provided stepping stool in front of the sink and stood up. Slowly, I faced the unfamiliar reflection in the mirror and froze.

            Everything fell into place. I was a Fox Monster, the facial structure too distinct to mistake for a wolf or a dog. My eyes, though still the same intense shade of green, seemed brighter. That was the only thing I could still recognize. Wet drops fell from my eyes as I examined my new face. My eyes were lined with pure black fur, salt and pepper arching over my forehead and running down my muzzle to my pitch black nose. My ears were completely black with white tips. I looked quite pretty… but still no longer human. I held back my cries and turned away from the reflection, clutching into the counter and then the toilet as I made my way into the shower.

            I removed the hospital gown and looked at the bottles. Shampoo and conditioner. Nothing else. Well… I _am_ mostly fur right now. I don’t really _need_ anything else. Unexpected plus side to becoming a foxy lady (hey!) is no longer having to shave. Okay, good. Keep finding positive sides to becoming a freak of nature… and we’re back to depressed.

            I closed the shower curtain, sitting onto the little plastic chair and turning on the water until it was hot. It felt… weird having water soak into my fur. I put my paws over my face and let it out, trying not to make too much noise and alert Brio… I didn’t want her to worry. I sat there for several minutes, crying for the life I used to have. It wasn’t great, but it was mine… until now. I had no illusions about miraculously going back to my hometown. Back to my life in obscurity, avoiding the high expectations of my parents, and just biding my time until freedom. There _was_ no going back for me. Sasha Moore was dead now.

            After rinsing twice, I turned off the water and grabbed the towels provided. It was such an exhausting process, cleaning every last bit of fur, but the bright white shine (when applicable) was well worth it. Not to mention the fact that I did feel significantly less horrible about myself. Self-conscious? Sure, but not like I was five seconds away from ripping out my fur. I briskly dried off my feet, legs, torso, and arms with an almost military proficiency. I then rubbed my head dry. It was only after putting on the underwear (with a whole in the back for my tail) that I realized I forgot to dry my tail. So, a few minutes later, all I had to do was decide on a shirt. It was… really weird how the fluff on my chest appeared to just be decoration at this point rather than actual boobs like I was used to. They were still there, sort of, but now overshadowed by the fur on my clavicle, making it look like I really _didn’t_ have anything there but fluffy fur. Which made sense since I was basically a child right now. _Anyway_ , I settled on the blue and purple striped sweater, since I did not feel comfortable enough to be sporting a short-sleeved shirt. I put the old hospital gown in the bag and moved to the door, forgetting to lift my leg high enough and basically tripping and face planting into the door.

            I rocked back onto my ass, paws cradling my snout with small whining cries leaving my throat. And _that_ was how Brio found me five seconds later when she opened the door. Her face twitched into a smile, not that I blamed her for it, before schooling itself into a frown.

            “Oh, sweetheart! Did you trip?” She kneeled down and lifted me up gently onto my feet, “And you forgot to brush your fur! Oh dear, don’t worry about it. Let’s get you on the bed and we’ll fix that right up. Is your nose okay?” I gingerly removed my paws and twitched my nose. It was a little sore, but otherwise alright.

            “’M ‘kay. Just sore. Almost forgot to dry my tail… I can’t decide if this is more or less work than shaving.” Brio snorted a little as she helped me onto the bed.

            “I don’t think you’ll like the bald look, dear. Furry Monsters rarely pull it off well.” I snorted a little, noticing how her eyes lingered on my slightly red ones but she didn’t bring it up, thankfully.

            “Not to mention how long it would take…” Brio nodded as she reached into the bag and pulled out a brush. She hesitated for a moment.

            “Do you mind if I do it?” I shook my head. She smiled and hummed softly as she made smooth stroked down the back of my head and along my tail, gently untangling the small knots. It felt so relaxing, I didn’t even notice I was basically leaning against her. How long has it been since I felt just gentle kindness? Far too long, I think. Certainly not since I was six… over a decade ago. My eyes slid shut, a purr rumbling down my throat as I fell asleep halfway in her lap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so originally, I planned to have several chapters of her slowly turning into a fox, but then decided it would be too painful to do so. Fun fact, Sasha's form is based off of a 'Marble Fox' which is a man-made species of fox, typically harvested for their beautiful fur. I figured it made the most sense out of the different foxes, since she's the result of experimentation. They're also really fucking pretty. Seriously, google that shit. There was a few problems with merging the bipedal form with a fox, but most of them were moot since (in this story) monsters don't really have internal organs and shit. The two things that changed the most, besides gaining fur, was her head and her legs. Her torso is pretty much the same. There was also the issue of breasts, since foxes only have teats on the stomach area, but that would have been... a little weird since Brio is clearly shown with mostly human-female silhouette (I.E. breasts). So, she has them, but a good amount of the 'breast' shape comes from the longer fur along the collarbone. I don't plan on this involving sexual themes, so it's mostly just a detail my slightly OCD brain needed to have defined. I mean, I could have ignored the issue entirely, but then I would just /wonder/, ya know? Not to mention she's technically a child right now. Especially by Monster standards. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and feel free to leave a comment, request, or recommendation. The next chapter will likely involve Sasha adjusting to moving around as a digitigrade, looking into her parents, and maybe i'll tackle the subject of her stats? I don't know, but I guess we'll find out, won't we?


	4. Rest In Peace, Old Me

            It was a very gentle awakening. Voices drifted in and out as blunt claws slowly brushed through my fur.

            “…peaceful… was crying out… maybe… plush toy?” I huffed a little, my paw rubbing over my face.

            “Look who’s awake… how are you feeling?” I heard Dr. Undyne ask. I slowly sat up, the fog of sleep clearing from my head.

            “Better… how long was I out?” Dr. Undyne smiled and chuckled a little.

            “Not for long. Just a few hours. You’ll probably get tired really easily over the next few weeks.” Dr. Undyne explained gently, “I was just talking to Brio about the possibility of letting you spend the days at her place as soon as you get the hang of your new body.” I was a little confused.

            “What?” Dr. Undyne blushed a little.

            “Right, well, this has never happened before… a human turning into a monster. Though, you probably already knew that. So I recommended that you stay the night here until everything clears out, but go on ahead and leave with Brio in the day so you two can get to know each other more. Not to mention that the more exercise and fresh air you get, the better. But first, we need to make sure you can walk properly… ready to try it out?” I shifted nervously but nodded my head.

            “Yeah… but uhm… Dr. Undyne?” she looked up from her clipboard.

            “Yes?”

            “Is this… well, my… _situation_ supposed to be a secret? I mean… it _sounds_ like something that you wouldn’t want… spread all over the news… changing species and all that.” She looked a little surprised and laughed nervously.

            “Oh! Well, yeah. Only a handful of people know about your… change. And we intend to keep it that way. If anyone asks, your Soul had an internal issue and sort of… exploded a little.” She must have seen the look on my face, “Well, I mean, that _is_ pretty much what happened! And anyone, or rather, any _Monster_ that gets close enough will feel how… new you are. Even without the striped sweater telling us, you feel _really, really new_. Like… think infant new.” I grimaced and Brio laughed.

            “That is not to say you will be treated like a baby, Sasha. Like Dr. Poppy said before, Monsters develop at a different pace than humans. Physically and mentally, a monster may act as an adult, but their Soul’s development is what really matters since it produces magic. Monsters will be reluctant to let you go alone for errands or be around humans because of this vulnerability.” I nodded my head. It made sense. If magic was how Monsters defended themselves, it would be unwise to let a Monster not capable of magic to go around unprotected.

            “Alright! Now that that’s covered, let’s see if you can handle a walk to the examination room. It’s where all the equipment to check on your Soul is. That monitor right there just detects base lines. If it pulses, how fast, and at what rate. Stuff like that. But we need to see just how far along it is, so you ready?” Dr. Undyne asked, her clipboard at her side with her hand out to help steady me.

            “Well… as ready as I can be.” I shuffled my small body a little bit closer to the edge and dangled for a moment, carefully setting my toes on the floor, mindful of how my legs worked now. Grasping the soft and scaly hand, I settled all my weight onto my toes. When I felt steady I let go of Dr. Undyne’s hand and carefully moved my feet forward. Brio gently put a paw on my shoulder.

            “You’re doing great, but maybe you should keep your eyes forward? And perhaps straighten your back out a bit?” I looked up at her in surprise, quickly taking stock of my posture. I was hunched over quite a bit, my knees a bit lower than necessary.

            “Oh… right.” I stood up, still not confident enough to unbend my knees, but at least I wasn’t folded over anymore. Together, we slowly made our way out of the room and down the hall. I briefly noted how tall Dr. Undyne was. I doubted I’d reach her chest, even if I did stand up all the way. At least Brio was a little shorter, my head just at the same height as her chest. Maybe, when I get the hang of walking, I’d be able to stand up tall and reach her chin? I was grateful that the walk was short and that they both were keeping an eye on me. I keep forgetting to _lift_ my toes as well as my foot when walking, resulting in almost tumbling head first to the floor.

            We walked past several hospital rooms, some unoccupied, but occasionally there would be a Monster lying in bed watching TV. One bed seemed to contain a large pile of slime… I guess not all Monsters look animal based? Anyway, when we reached the proper room, Undyne opened the door to reveal a large chair with an attached screen that you could move around the chair. It looked sort of like a dentist’s chair, only it didn’t lean back.

            “Okay, just sit down in that chair and I’ll start up the scanner.” Dr. Undyne said, giving me a reassuring smile at how nervous I looked, “Don’t worry. At worse, it’ll tickle. All it does it scan your Soul, which will appear on the screen right there. It’s actually… uhm… my own invention. Previously, doctors had to manually take a Soul out, but this way is much safer!” She said, her scales turning a deep shade of red. I scooted into the soft chair and leaned back, Brio taking a seat in the normal chair right next to me. Dr. Undyne fiddled with a computer for several moments before pulling the screen to rest over my chest. The glass surface glimmered with static for several long moments before an image became clear.

            It was pretty small, the edges sort of blurry, but it was definitely an upside-down, white heart. It weakly pulsed, sending out small beams of light. Dr. Undyne let out a sharp breath. I sent her a worried look but she shook it off.

            “Is something wrong?” She shook her head.

            “No. I was a little worried that the integrity of your Soul would be compromised because of how much Determination humans have on average, but it seems like it was mostly used to keep you alive, bleeding it out to acceptable Monster-friendly levels.” She noticed my confused look, “Well, humans naturally have a lot of Determination, but Monster’s physically can’t handle a large amount. We start to break down and… anyway, it seems like the donation was successful. Your Soul may be small and kind of weak, but eventually it will be completely clear and strong enough to steadily produce magic. No Confrontations for at least a month—when Monsters battle they enter a Confrontation, and take it easy. No dangerous stunts, get plenty of rest, and you’ll be just fine. Who knows, within a month we might be seeing your Soul start to produce magic! I’m kind of curious as to what you’ll be capable of, honestly…” Dr. Undyne said as she pushed the screen away from in front of me. The computer beeped and started printing out something.

            “What’s that?”

            “Well, that would be your Stats. Think of it like a videogame. Your Soul, as it stands right now, has particular Stats. LV, which stands for LOVE (Level of Violence), EXP (Execution Points), ATK (Attack), DEF (Defense), and HP which stands for Hope. Attack is how much damage you’re willing to and capable of dealing out at a particular moment. Defense is how much you can weather. And finally, HP is how much actual damage you can handle before… well, let’s just say you don’t faint when you hit zero. That’s just in humans though. Monsters have an additional Stat of MP (Magic Power), but Monsters only gain that upon maturity.” Dr. Undyne ranted as she snatched the paper and skimmed over it. Her face grew confused.

            “Uhm… should I be concerned?” Dr. Undyne glanced up at me, uncertain of what to say.

            “Well… It’s rather interesting. I mean, I’ve never seen this before.” she scooted her chair next to mine and held out the paper. My eyes scanned over the results.

LV: 5

EXP: 0

ATK: 25

DEF: 2

DRB: 40

HP: 5

MP: 1

            Brio seemed astounded as well.

            “What’s ‘DRB’?” Dr. Undyne narrowed her eyes, thinking for several moments.

            “Well, the only thing I can think of would be Durability. Monsters, as you already know, are made of magic and dust. As such, our strength comes from our Soul, not our physical bodies. So, regardless of how weak our opponent is, if their intent is deadly enough, we could die with a single hit. Not even with a knife or a gun, either! But you started out as a human, so maybe, when you made the transition into a Monster, not all of your… physical body was discarded? Which is probably a good thing, since your Defense and HP is so low. Though I have to wonder how you have 5 LV without any EXP… have you watched someone die?” I shook my head, “Well… then it likely has something to do with the gap in your memory.” Brio squeezed my shoulder gently.

            “I think it’s time to go back. I’m sure you have things you need to catch up on, Dr. Undyne.” Dr. Undyne jerked her head from the paper, taking the papers from her clipboard and putting them into a folder.

            “Yeah, I think that’s enough for now. I’m pretty sure Nabstabot’s show is coming on in a few minutes. You might be interested. Would you like for me to walk you back or…?” I shook my head.

            “No, I think with Brio I should be fine… but there is something I need to check first. Is there a computer I can use?” Dr. Undyne blinked and nodded.

            “Yeah, you can use that one right there. Just don’t delete anything.” Dr. Undyne said, leaving Brio and I alone. I was a little shaky as I approached the computer, Brio hovering anxiously.

            “What do you need the computer for?” I sat down in the chair and pulled up the web browser.

            “Well… I kind of already know what I’ll find but… I _need_ to make sure.” My claws clicked against the plastic keyboard as I pulled up my parent’s profile on social media. It was… as I expected. It hurt, looking at the vile hatred they had for Monsters, going back all the way to when they were first announced. A few days before that was the creation of a memorial page for me… well, idealized human me.

            _“She was such a troubled child, but at least now she’s in peace.”_

 _“RIP Sasha Moore, my sweet baby.”_ I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or cry. Three days after I went missing, and they gave up. Pretending like they were saints and I was just a misguided angel. Better presumed dead than alive and ruining their precious reputation. I closed the browser, feeling a heavy lump grow steadily in my chest and throat.

            “Oh, sweetheart… come here.” I turned towards her, taking in her open arms and soft expression. I didn’t take but a moment to embrace her, small cries leaving my throat shamefully as she cradled me gently. My relationship with my parents had been… rocky and unfulfilling at best… but a small, childish part of me hoped for that candle in the window. Some sign that they missed me and still loved me, despite our troubles. But it… just wasn’t mean to be… Sasha Moore was well and truly dead… leaving just Sasha the Fox, Monster Freak in her place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was kind of painful. But, it had to be done. Sometime soon, we'll get to know more about the past, but now Sasha can start to bury her past as a human. There's still the unanswered questions of what happened to her and how it adds to her LV (But not her EXP, so she didn't kill anyone herself). I think sometime soon Toriel will show up with Alphys so they can establish contact and the basics of what she last remembered. As far as the kids (Asriel, Frisk, and Chara), they do count as the main cast, and as such, will be swapped. But I refuse to touch evil temmie thing, so Asriel essentially swaps with Flowey in my version of Underswap. Frisk will still flirt (because I like the idea of a flirty murder child), and Chara will just be basically a flower child of pacifist ideals. You know, if Frisk shows up at all, which i'm not 100% on. But I absolutely loved the long comment, TheKursed (as well as the supportive one LyrebBird). Comments fill me with DETERMINATION!
> 
> And as such, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and feel free to donate some Determination via comment, recommendation, request, or just words in general!


	5. Of Music and Impending Bonetrousle

            I was more than just a little bit out of it when we returned to my room, Brio turning towards the TV across from the bed to turn it on and to the right channel.

            “Nabstabot is a pretty famous Monster DJ. He hosts a show every now and then, but that was always more Hapstablook’s thing, his ghost cousin. In fact, Nabstabot used to be a ghost himself, but then Dr. Undyne built him a body. Ghosts can’t be recorded very well, ya know?” I nodded mutely and she picked up on my lack of desire to talk, choosing not to push it. I did more or less cry my eyes out. The TV settled on a channel and Brio sat down, just as a blue and silver robot appeared on a stage.

            “Good morning, everyone! This is Nabstabot, about to give you a killer time! Metaphorically! With live mixing! Kick it, dudes!” he was super cheerful and confident, despite appearing closer to a TV/calculator hybrid than anything else. He had one wheel and expertly balanced with a disk set attached to his frame. A five by five color tile screen flickered between a heart, a music note, and what I can only assume to be an ‘N’. His robotic arms scratched over the disks as the playing track skipped and moved accordingly. It actually sounded pretty great. I felt… better. I didn’t even notice the hours passing until a small yellow cat nurse, wearing bright green scrubs, appeared in the doorway with a tray.

            “Hello, I’m Nurse Felix. I’ve brought lunch. Today, we have golden flower tea, chicken soup, crackers, a small serving of peaches, and if you finish everything, I can even bring you some ice cream!” The masculine sounding nurse set down the tray on the adjustable table and fixed it so it was in front of me.

            “Thank you, Nurse Felix.” He (She, perhaps? I think I’ll just go with ‘they’) smiled.

            “Not a problem, I’ll be back in half an hour to check on you. Oh! Nabstabot! He’s my favorite celebrity!” Nurse Felix looked sheepish for a moment, “Well, I’m pretty sure he’s _every_ Monster’s favorite! A-Anyway, I’ll just leave you to it!” They said, walking out of the room with a bounce in their step. I had to admit, the soup looked pretty good. I lifted up the small Styrofoam cup of warm tea and sniffed. It smelled warm and inviting, a small taste leaving me with a sweet and bubbly sensation. Not bad.

            “Hey, Brio… are you hungry?” I asked looking over to her uncertainly. She shook her head and I turned towards my soup.

            “Oh! Right, before you eat, I should warn you…” I looked at Brio, a plastic spork resting in my paws, “As you know, Monster’s don’t have any internal organs… well, not really. Our magic breaks down everything we eat, so any food you decide to eat, regardless of how magical it is, will… disappear as soon as you swallow. I know humans have a digestive system, and I didn’t want you to be startled.” I nodded, turning back to my food, considering the new information I had learned. It will just… _disappear?_

            I put a generous amount of noodle on my spork and paused before eating it. Chewing seemed… different with my new jaw shape from what I remember. When I swallowed, I was glad she warned me, or I likely would have choked on… something I’m sure, when the food seemed to fizzle out of existence somewhere in the middle of my throat. It almost tickled. Brio took in my wide-eyed expression and began to laugh. I only tried glaring for a few moments before giving in and laughing too. It felt… really good to laugh so easily. Almost like I hadn’t had the occasion to do so in a long time.

            After that I slowly worked through the rest of my meal, just finishing off the last of the peaches when Nurse Felix came in. They had a small tray of sample size ice cream cups with spoons. They were really happy to see I was finished though.

            “Congrats, you finished the whole thing! Do you have a favorite flavor?” I thought for a moment. It had been a _really_ long time since I had ice cream.

            “Do you have Neapolitan?” They nodded and handed me a small cup with a spoon.

            “Feel free to just throw it away afterwards. I’ll just take this and be out of your way! Dinner’s at eight, just an hour before visiting hour is over. Enjoy your ice cream!” I nodded my head and started enjoying my ice cream, one flavor at a time. Brio chuckled a little.

            “That’s an interesting way to eat ice cream, Sasha.” I smiled shyly.

            “Well, each flavor is their own thing, so I eat them separately… out of respect.” I could feel warmth under my cheekbones as Brio smiled.

            “That’s really interesting! Hey, if you want, I can go make something at home for dinner? This hospital is pretty good about their food, but I thought that, maybe a home-cooked meal would be nice?” I thought about it for a moment. It _did_ sound really tempting. I nodded my head and Brio brightened.

            “Great! I’ll pick up some night clothes as well! Will you be alright here?” I chuckled a little.

            “Yes _mom_.” It slipped out. The sassy response to a worried comment. I… wasn’t sure if I was actually _ready_ to really mean it… and I think Brio could tell, despite appearing pleased.

            “Well, I worry… and whenever you’re ready… any request for dinner?” I shook my head.

            “Nope.” I wasn’t really a picky eater. She nodded and stood up.

            “Very well then, I’ll be gone for a while. Call the nurse if you need anything, alright?” I hummed happily.

            “Hm-hm, you got it! I’ll just watch more Nabstabot until you get back.” She reached over and fixed the blanket over my waist and patted my head.

            “If you feel like walking around, they do have a small garden, just make sure to take it easy and let one of the nurses know where you’re going, alright?” I nodded and she smiled, “Be back soon.” And then she was gone. I was actually quite tired, but I didn’t want to overdo it on sleeping, but now that she was gone, it felt awfully tempting to let myself slip away. I leaned back into the pillows, letting the rhythmic beats of Nabstabot’s music soothe me to sleep. I didn’t find sweet dreams, but nightmares of drowning in gray quicksand, screams and pleas for help escaping from beneath in frequent bubbles.

\--Someday, I will write an emotionally stable main character with a happy family life, but today is not that day… tomorrow isn’t looking good either.—

            Brio walked through the aisles in the grocery store. She needed to stock up on food anyway. She was mostly just glad that Muffet opened up a grocery chain that carried Monster food as well as human ingredients. When they reached the surface a whole world of opportunity opened up to them. Including the option of meat. As it turns out, it _did_ taste better than water sausage. But it wasn’t every Monster’s cup of tea, so to speak. Brio herself wasn’t exactly partial to it, but considering Sasha used to be human, with a diet to match, she’d likely find herself wanting to eat it more often than not. As such, she was going to make a few chicken breasts with fresh vegetables. Magic made it unnecessary to worry about calories and such, but many Monsters felt better overall if they ate healthy as opposed to whatever crossed their mind.

            But Muffet’s Grocery Store also held a section of stuffed animals some of her family members made in their spare time. Each stuffed animal was lined with magic geared for comfort. It would help with Sasha’s difficulty sleeping that she noticed. Well, it wasn’t that she seemed to have trouble falling asleep, or even staying asleep, but judging by the small cries and whimpers, it wasn’t very restful. The only question was what _kind_ of stuffed animal to get. It seemed like she’d be pushing it if she chose a rabbit and it would be odd if she picked a fox. Then she saw it. Just the perfect size for comfort. Without another thought, she grabbed it, and headed to the register. She had a meal to make.

            With magic for storage, carrying the bags wasn’t a problem. She was also quite pleased to see the description for the new stuffed toy included a bonus 10 defense and plus 1 health every other turn. It shouldn’t be needed, of course, but just in case wasn’t a bad thing to prepare for. When she reached her store/home, she found her two favorite skeleton brothers out front. The smaller one, dressed in blue and gray armor, practically danced when he saw her.

            “BRIO! I WAS BEGINNING TO GET WORRIED! YOU’RE ALMOST NEVER CLOSED!” she couldn’t help the smile the older, yet so much shorter, brother brought on.

            “I’m sorry for worrying you boys. I’m… well, I’m adopting you see, but there are some health issues, so until she gets better, she’s staying at the hospital. Actually, I was about to make dinner for her. If you two aren’t busy, you can come along. It’ll be good for her to meet more Monsters.” Especially considering she’s only really talked to about four so far. Papyrus, still dressed in the same orange sweater and gray cargo pants, seemed to consider it. A cigarette clenched casually in his jaw. Sans gasped and jumped with excitement.

            “WE WOULD BE HONORED! WOULD YOU LIKE SOME HELP WITH THE MEAL, BRIO?!” she laughed but waited for what Papyrus would say. Sans had a tendency to… let his excitement run away with him.

            “Sure… we don’t have anything else to do this afternoon.” She nodded and opened up the door for them.

            “Alright, I’m cooking a few chicken breasts and making a salad. It shouldn’t take long. I’ll get started and then go get some more clothes for her, if you would watch the chicken to make sure it doesn’t burn, Sans.” Sans’ eyes glowed with determination.

            “WHILE YOU COOK, WOULD YOU MIND TELLING US ABOUT YOUR CHILD? WHAT ARE THEY LIKE? _WHAT_ DO THEY LIKE?” Sans gasped, following her into the kitchen with Papyrus, “DO THEY LIKE NABSTABOT?!” Brio couldn’t help but laugh. Sans was quite well known for his admiration of Nabstabot.

            “What’s the problem with the kid, Brio?” Papyrus asked, leaning against the counter and putting away his cigarette since he knew she didn’t like it in the kitchen.

            “Well, we’re not exactly sure _where_ she came from, she also doesn’t remember anything. But her Soul… well, Dr. Undyne said it exploded somehow. So, when you meet her, she’ll feel…”

            “Really new?” Papyrus supplied, resting a bony hand on Sans’ skull in reassurance. Sans looked like he was seconds away from bawling.

            “Yes. It’s a miracle she’s even alive, really. Her name is Sasha and she’s a fox. She’s really kind as well.” Brio said as she seasoned the chicken and set the vegetables out for Papyrus and Sans to begin putting together the salad, “She’s also really shy and kind of uncomfortable with herself right now. She hasn’t said anything about it, but you can tell from the way her ears are always really low.” She was sort of rambling at this point, so she cut herself off and watched as the chicken began to cook.

            “MWEH! SHE SOUNDS LIKE SHE NEEDS A FRIEND, PAPPY!” Papyrus chuckled as he gently took the bowl of freshly made salad from his excitable brother.

            “I don’t know Sans, ya sure you’re up for it?” Papyrus said, riling Sans up even more.

            “THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT SANS IS _ALWAYS_ UP FOR IT!” Brio laughed a little, preparing to turn off the stove in another five minutes.

            “Well, Sans the Great and Magnificent, perhaps you should learn to lower your voice. She’s in a hospital right now and hasn’t quite adjusted to her senses yet.” Sans’ eyes sparked as blue stars for a brief moment.

            “Very Well Then! The Great And Magnificent Sans Will Do So!” Sans frowned and coughed lightly for a moment, “I mean, I will succeed, because I am the great and magnificent Sans!” he practically beamed up at his brother for his latest triumph, Papyrus smiling indulgently.

            “You sure will, bro… so, is there anything else we should know in the meantime?” Brio thought for a moment. Besides the _actual_ truth, was there anything else she could tell them? It occurred to her then, that Papyrus _did_ have the ability to see Stats without equipment. It would be best to warn the protective younger brother ahead of time.

            “Well, you see… I actually found her myself. She was… well, she was dying. Said the last she could remember, it was June, but nothing else. Papyrus… whatever happened in that time frame, she gained LOVE. Five, to be exact. But, strangely enough, no EXP. Her ATK is rather impressive, but her HP and DEF is rather… lacking. I’m sure that whatever happened wasn’t particularly pleasant, so I’m rather torn… between wanting her to just _forget_ and for her to remember so we can actually _know_ what happened…” She shook her head and removed the chicken breasts from the pan and into a Tupperware container, “But anyway, I think it’s best for that missing time to be… left alone for now. At least until she recovers.” Papyrus seemed to be mentally weighing what he had been told while Sans looked like Queen Toriel just gave him a top secret mission.

            “DO NOT—I mean, do not worry, Brio! My brother and I will ensure that… that…”

            “Sasha.” Brio supplied when Sans began to falter. Sans brightened back up and continued.

            “—that Sasha is safe and happy, won’t we brother?” Papyrus looked down at Sans and smiled.

            “Sure we will, bro. No _bones_ about it.”

            “PAPPY!” Sans screeched indignantly, much to his brother’s amusement. Brio knew then that Papyrus was suspicious of what he had been told, but he would keep his word. After all, every Monster knew that EXP was gained by killing, which raised your LV, but living through tough times could _also_ give you LV. And Papyrus, as protective as he was, could hardly blame Sasha for surviving tough circumstances, even if he didn’t know exactly _what_ those circumstances were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, remember when I said Alphys and Toriel were next?.... haha, yeah... um... whoops? But I mean, how can you be mad at blueberry and orange? Well, I guess royalty can wait another day or so. I'm also totally not sorry for giving Sans a reason to speak normally. It's such a pain to type in all caps or have every word capitalized. Makes my head hurt, so Sans is learning restraint. He'll break every once in a while, but that's okay. I think I can forgive blueberry for that. Also, what kind of stuffed animal do you think Brio got? I have an idea, but it /wouldn't/ be the /first/ time an outside opinion changed what I would write.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and feel free to donate some Determination via Comment or Kudos. And while you're at it, go on ahead and ask questions or give requests. You never know, I just might take it seriously!


	6. The Joy of Bonetrousle and Barry (Who's Barry?)

            After informing the front desk that she brought a meal from home for Sasha, she led the two skeleton brother’s to her room. Papyrus looked around casually, his sharp glance not missing a thing.

            “Sasha’s room is pretty… isolated.” He mentioned offhandedly. Brio was starting to question the wisdom in bringing them here, or more specifically, bringing _Papyrus_.

            “Well, a Monster’s Soul has never actually… _exploded_ like this before. Perhaps they were worried about the effects?” or the public learning about said effects. Sans looked like he was about to cry again, “I’m going to make sure she’s awake, can you two wait out here for a moment?” Sniffling slightly, Sans accepted his ‘mission’ and Papyrus just leaned against the wall, his phalanges twitching for a cigarette. Brio let out a sigh of relief and walked in to find Sasha curled up in an anxious ball, ears twitching as small whimpers and growls left her throat. Worried, she rushed over and gently brushed her paws through Sasha’s fur until she was still. With a small grumble, Sasha opened up her eyes, fur damp and messy around her eyes.

            “Mm… Brio? You’re back…” Sasha mumbled, uncurling from her fetal position and sitting up. Paws swiped at damp fur as her tail swept up into her lap. Brio couldn’t help but sigh.

            “Yeah… what were you dreaming about, sweetheart? You looked really… upset.” Sasha down at her tail, paws gently combing through the thick fur.

            “I’m not really sure… I was sinking in gray quicksand. There were others beneath the surface and I could hear their screams in the little air bubbles that came up. They wanted me to help but… but Brio…” Sasha’s green eyes locked with hers, “I was drowning too…” Brio didn’t hold back from embracing her this time, those eyes were just too dark with knowledge. Like Sasha knew what it was like to drown after so many others. They stayed like that for a moment before Brio pulled back, aware that Sans wouldn’t be able to hold still for much longer.

            “Well, I brought dinner and a couple friends of mine. Papyrus and Sans. Think you’re up for company, dear?” She seemed to consider that for several long moments until she finally nodded.

            “Yeah… they sound nice.” Brio smiled, feeling quite proud as she turned towards the door to call them in.

\--How can I resist?—

            “You can come in now, boys.” Papyrus pushed away from the wall as his older brother skipped gleefully into the room.

            “HELL—Hello, I am the great and magnificent Sans! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sasha!” He chuckled to himself as he walked into the room, seeing first hand this ‘Sasha’ kid. It was a little hard to tell with them curled up, but they looked to be about half of Sans' height, which means they’d reach just above his kneecaps. Sasha was mostly white with gray across their forehead and down to the side of their muzzle. His eyes moved across the Stats. Their DEF and HP _was_ pretty low for their LV. He wasn’t sure what to think of ‘DRB’ though, whatever it was, it was pretty high.

            “Sup… I’m Papyrus.” He noticed what Brio was talking about when Sasha’s ears flicked upwards for a second in interest before settling back down at a downward angle. That was also when he felt it. How _new_ Sasha was. How _old_ was the kid, anyhow? A week? Shit, he didn’t need to see the blue and purple striped sweater to know they were young. He was so distracted by the ‘new’ feeling that he almost didn’t catch how slightly _off_ Sasha felt as well. Like the words in a book being tilted to one side by a single centimeter.

            “Hello Papyrus and Sans. It’s nice to meet you.” they said awkwardly, like they wasn’t certain what else to do. Thankfully, his brother was here to solve that.

            “It’s very nice to meet you too, Sasha! Tell me, what do you like to do?” Sasha’s nose wrinkled slightly in thought.

            “Well… not very much I’m afraid. I’m pretty useless at everything.” There. Their expression flickered and their ears moved back just a little bit. They hadn’t _meant_ to say that. Probably didn’t actually _believe_ it either, merely parroted back what they had heard several times before. Papyrus knew right then, that whatever was going on with Sasha, he wouldn’t like. Not one bit.

            “We’ll just have to find something then! I love puzzles and making tacos! I _also_ enjoy training with Alphys! Oh! Oh! And watching Nabstabot, he’s my favorite DJ celebrity! Have you seen him, he’s pretty great!” Sans said, his enthusiasm lighting up the room. Sasha smiled, their expression easing as their ears seemed to perk up slightly. Yeah… his bro was the coolest.

            “Oh, yeah. I’ve seen him. He was on TV just a while ago. I like his music.” Sasha said quietly and that was all his brother needed to go off of. Sans could talk about Nabstabot for _hours_.

            “Oh, I love his newest album! He’s so cool and Pappy and I are saving up money to go to his next concert!” Sans yammered in excitement before looking back at him, “Papyrus, you’re being awfully quiet!” Sometimes, his brother noticed things a little _too_ well.

            “I’m just rel- _axe_ -ing… hate to _cut_ you short, bro.” Sans’ face turned a shade of bright blue as he held back his frustrated yell.

            “PaPpy! Sasha is unwell, they do not need your _infernal_ puns making them worse!” The kid covered their muzzle with their paws, holding back laughter as their ears were almost completely up.

            “I guess you like your humor… _sans_ the puns.” Sasha said gleefully, making Sans look utterly horrified.

            “No! Pappy, you’ve _infected_ Sasha with your terrible puns!” Sans cried out, Brio finally giving in and laughing heartily as Papyrus just grinned smugly. He had to admit, the kid was growing on him a little.

\--How’s our MC handling the bone bros?—

            If I had any doubts before that Monsters weren’t just animal based, they were completely destroyed with the arrival of Sans and Papyrus. They were both skeletons. Sans was about my own height, dressed in what appeared to be a gray shirt with matching shoulder pads and bright blue lining that matched the bandana around his neck and the gloves perfectly. He seemed energetic and excitable, not to mention adorable with his oddly chubby appearance.

            His brother on the other hand, was just a bit taller than Brio herself, wearing a relaxed expression and an orange hoodie. Despite his relaxed demeanor, I could almost feel myself being measured up somehow. His structure was lean with sharp cheekbones as opposed to rounded cheeks like his brother. But regardless, they were both a joy to be around, despite not being able to stay for very long.

            “I’m sorry to say we must leave now, we have reservations at a restaurant with Alphys and Undyne in an hour! But! Worry not, for we will return tomorrow, won’t we brother?” Papyrus chuckled and patted his brother’s head.

            “You have a playdate with Chara, don’t you remember Sans?” Sans visibly deflated.

            “Oh… right.” Brio laughed a little.

            “That’s alright. I think tomorrow Dr. Undyne is coming over with Alphys to finish up the paperwork for her adoption. Perhaps another day?” Brio mentioned. Sans put his gloved fists on his hips.

            “MWEH! Then it is decided! We shall return the day _after_ tomorrow!” Sans declared, rushing over and embracing me. Smelled kind of like chalk and Mexican food… weird, “Recover at whatever pace is most beneficial, Sasha, and perhaps you can join me on a playdate!” Sans said, pulling back and heading out, Papyrus offering a jovial wave before leaving himself. It was a long moment of silence before I spoke up.

            “I like them… They’re fun.” Brio chuckled a little.

            “Yes, they were quite well known down in Snowdin, the area I lived in before the barrier was broken. If you ever had a problem, you could just ask the nearest skeleton. Papyrus wasn’t likely to do much, but he’d tell Sans, and _he’d_ tell Alphys. Alphys was, and still is, Captain of the Royal Guard. They talked about disbanding, but decided that it was best if security was handled by Monsters as opposed to humans.” I nodded and Brio seemed to realize something, “Oh! Are you hungry yet? I brought food.” I was a little confused. I didn’t see a bag anywhere…

            “Uhm… where?” Brio laughed a little.

            “Oh, well, you see, Monsters can put items in an… inventory of sorts. Without a bag or anything, Monsters can hold up to eight items… actually, using magic alone, anyone can hold up to eight items. If you have a magic-enabled phone, like most Monsters do, then you can hold even more than that.” I stared, more than just a little amazed at the world I lived in now, cause that was cool as _hell_. Brio moved her hand and suddenly she had two Tupperware containers in front of her. She set them down on the table and moved it so it was in front of me, “You can try for yourself. Remember, with Monsters, everything is about _intent_.” I narrowed my eyes, Determined to try this out. My paws moved over the containers, one appearing to still be quite warm. I focused on… well, _equipping_ them. Suddenly, they were gone, words flashing in my head.

**You took the Delicious Home Cooked Meal! It’s a set of two!**

**Well-Seasoned Chicken Breasts (DHCM ½).**

**It’s cooked to perfection!**

**+15 HP!**

**Healthy Salad (DHCM ½).**

**Filled with greens for a healthy diet! Be sure to say thank you!**

**+10 HP!**

            I couldn’t help the little snort and turned towards Brio.

            “Thanks for the DHCM, Brio.” I said happily, taking them back out with hardly a thought, “Uhm… there’s two chicken breasts… is there something for you to eat with too?” Brio blushed a little.

            “Oh, no! I’m not really a fan of meat. I can eat it just fine, but I’d rather not. We can share the salad though, if you’d prefer.” I nodded my head. It felt weird to eat in front of someone without sharing. Speaking of, the chicken tasted wonderful, it truly _was_ cooked to perfection! Happily, we both dug in, the quiet not bothering either one of us in the least. I was a little amused to discover that I wanted meat more than vegetables and wondered if it had anything to do with my form. After all, Brio didn’t like meat much herself, and she was a rabbit. When that was finished, Brio took the containers and put them away, taking something else out instead. It was a stuffed bear, about the size of my torso. Some part of me seemed to twinge at the black button eyes and small smile. The short purple fur seemed to have been dyed with a myriad of rainbow hued cracks, or perhaps a spider web, as though the bear was about to shatter into a rainbow. The inside of the ears, paw pads, and stomach was just a plain crème colored patch of fabric with a small red heart embroidered on the chest with little golden wings. I loved it.

            “He’s so cute, Brio!” I whispered in awe, my paws twitching to cuddle him close. Brio smiled softly and handed him to me.

            “I noticed you seem to have trouble sleeping, so I thought this would do the trick. If you Equip him, you’ll even have a few bonuses because of the magic imbedded in the fabric.” I took a moment to appreciate the generous amount of stuffing he had before concentrating. Without a sound, he disappeared from my arms.

**You took Barry the Stuffed Bear!**

**Equip?**

**[Yes] <**

**[No]**

**Barry the Stuffed Bear equipped!**

**You feel safer with Barry… but also like you’ve forgotten something? It almost hurts…**

**\+ 10 Defense**

**+1 HP every other turn**

            I frowned a little but simply ignored the questions the description raised, enjoying the warm comfort of the soft bear.

            “Thank you, Brio…” I said softly, my eyes seeming to water up a bit at her kindness. Barry smelled like sweets. Brio just smiled back, setting yet another bag from seemingly nowhere on the floor.

            “It’s almost time for me to go home… but I’ll be back in the morning. Make sure to brush your teeth, and your fur, and try and get some rest, alright sweetie?” Brio said, her arms wrapping around me gently, as though she was afraid I’d shatter too. I wrapped my free arm around her and nodded.

            “Alright… night, Brio.”

            “Good night, Sasha.” Brio said, nuzzling me gently before pulling away, just in time for Nurse Felix to duck their head in.

            “Oh, alright, you’re just leaving. I know it’s hard, but visiting hours start at nine, alright?” Brio nodded and waved goodbye, Nurse Felix turning towards me just as Brio left, “If you need anything, and I mean anything, just press that button right there. I’m taking the late shift tonight and boy, is it boring after hours!” Nurse Felix said dramatically. I gigged a little and nodded. I wasn’t quite tired yet, but it wouldn’t hurt to change into some night clothes. I grabbed the bag of clothes and ducked into the bathroom on shaky feet, my arm still wrapped around Barry securely. I don’t think I’ll be able to put him down for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, is that foreshadowing? Oh dear... well, the next chapter /should/ have Toriel and Alphys in it. Maybe a little bit of late night shenanigans with Nurse Felix? I didn't want to pull another OC out of nowhere, so this dude (chick?) is pulling a late shift. How you guys liking this so far?
> 
> Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and don't hold back on my account! Feel free to comment, request, or give a recommendation at any time!


	7. Royalty Will Have to Wait! We Have Exposition and Felix to Explore!

            After getting dressed in red and white stripped pajamas, I stepped out of the bathroom, my legs still not entirely steady but it wasn’t like I was about to fall over. I stood there shakily for several moments, trying to figure out what to do next. I _really_ didn’t want to go to sleep just yet… so maybe I could check out that garden Brio mentioned earlier? I moved my feet a little haphazardly to the call button, the glowing red LED light clearly visible at the right side of the hospital bed. I pressed the button lightly with my claw, noting distantly that it seemed a little too sharp for mundane use. I should probably find a nail file before I accidentally scratch the shit out of someone. A gentle knocking brought me out of my thoughts.

            “Hey, you rang?” Nurse Felix asked pleasantly. I nodded.

            “Yeah. I wanted to try walking around a bit… maybe see that garden, but Brio said I should tell someone beforehand.” Nurse Felix perked up, eyes briefly setting on Barry before moving on.

            “Oh! The garden is so nice here, would you care for some company?” I smiled shyly.

            “Not at all… I’ll probably need the help. I’m not very… steady on my feet just yet.” Nurse Felix nodded their head.

            “Yeah, your file said as much.” Nurse Felix said as they held the door open for me so I could pass. They seemed content to let me go my own pace, filling the relative silence with small talk, “You know, I have a cousin who runs his own stand. Its special burgers he made himself called NiceBurgs. It’s really odd, but he has an affinity for cold things, so he made a burger that’s inexplicably icy with a wrapper that gives life advice. It didn’t do well at first, because he started out in Snowdin, but Chara really helped fund his business so he could move it all the way to the Hotlands!” Nurse Felix said as they led the way through the mostly abandoned halls until we came up to these big glass doors. On the other side I could see a gently illuminated garden with a nice fountain in the middle.

            “Oh, is this the garden?” I asked as Nurse Felix opened the door for me. The air was reasonably cool and I could see the opaque ceiling that likely helped keep the garden a manageable temperature year round. Most of the plants seemed to be buttercups, oddly enough. I was already a little winded so I naturally climbed awkwardly onto the concrete bench to sit down in front of the fountain, Nurse Felix joining me. I set Barry in my lap, shifting a little to allow my tail to lay behind me rather than under my ass. It was surprisingly uncomfortable.

            “Yep. Queen Toriel herself helped plant most of the flowers here. They’re something of a… symbol now. Of what we lost and how far we’ve come since we left the underground. You know… I know. About your actual condition. They weren’t going to clear me at first, but Dr. Undyne insisted that at least _one_ person on staff know of your condition at any point during your stay.” I looked over to Nurse Felix in surprise, “I know, a little surprising that they’d tell a _nurse_ of all things, but they figured you’d have questions you didn’t want to ask Dr. Undyne or Brio.” I kept my eyes on the fountain in thought.

            “Well… I _really_ don’t want to be rude but… are you male or female or…?” I wasn’t entirely certain how to go about the rest of the list of possible genders. Especially since I didn’t know if Monsters were… well, open enough for that. Nurse Felix looked only a little surprised but smiled anyway.

            “Oh, well, I prefer male pronouns. On a cultural note, Monsters are pretty open about a lot of things. Gender is one of them, mostly because Monsters usually aren’t born with any particular gender indicator, like humans are. Not even for reproduction purposes since that’s achieved by… well, mating with our Souls and combining magic to create a stable lifeform. It’s why Monsters habitually refer to others by gender-neutral terms unless given an indicator to the contrary. You may have noticed that you do, in fact, have gender specific traits, or rather, secondary characteristics. This is rather rare and usually such… well, ‘curves’ develop after a Monster has matured, their mind-set and magic influencing their shape to a small degree. It’s likely due to what you were _before_ and your mental outlook on your gender.” I nodded my head, letting this rather interesting information sink in.

            “So… does the whole stripes thing key into that any?” Nurse Felix nodded his head.

            “Yeah, actually. Like I said before, given time, a Monster’s physical form may change slightly to indicate a gender preference. While a Monster wears stripes, their magic and Soul hasn’t matured enough to do such a change on its own, _usually_. So, not only do stripes warn other Monsters that you don’t have a dependable control of your magic, but also that, even _if_ you appear to be gendered, you might not actually identify with the physical characteristics that you have. It’s typically considered really rude to refer to a Monster child as any one gender. Is there… anything else you want to ask?” I thought for a moment, my paws running gently over Barry’s soft fur. It had been a very long time since I was allowed to indulge my more childish tendencies. Brio seemed to encourage me with the purchase of my new friend.

            “Is… is this weird? I mean, I’m seventeen and I _really_ don’t want to put a _stuffed animal_ down.” Nurse Felix smiled gently and patted my back.

            “Well, it makes sense. Mentally, sure, you’re almost an adult, but you forget, Sasha… Your _Soul_ basically remade itself. Emotionally, you should be all over the place. _Literally_. Your Soul is pretty much where emotion and personality originates. Considering how much magic was put into that bear for comfort specifically, on a very basic level, you aren’t going to _want_ to let it go. So, to answer the question you didn’t _quite_ ask, no. It’s not childish for you to receive comfort from a ‘stuffed animal’ as you called it. You are doing _fantastic_ right now. Walking around, socializing with very energetic people (I.E. Sans), and doing your best to _understand_ your situation rather than breaking down over it. It would actually be _really worrying_ if you _didn’t_ want the comfort that stuffed bear provided. It would indicate a serious problem with your emotional capacity as a person, likely as a result of your… change. So… is there anything else you want to ask?” Nurse Felix asked gently. I didn’t really _want_ to ask about sex as a Monster… but I really can’t just ignore it. Even if I didn’t quite appear to be an adult, I was used to being informed about at _least_ the basics of puberty, which, for all I know, could show up tomorrow. Not that… I was really sure how relevant that was, which was kind of why I needed to ask. That didn’t stop it from being really weird since I was still clutching Barry like a lost child.

            “Well… um… about the… _birds and the bees_ … Is there anything I should… I don’t know, keep in mind about that?” I could see the confusion of Nurse Felix’s face before it clicked into place.

            “Oh! Right, well, technically speaking, it’s a little bit… similar but different with Monsters? At the moment, you aren’t capable of Soul Bonding, your Soul too new and weak to even _begin_ the process. But Monsters can mate for…” Nurse Felix looked distinctly uncomfortable for several long moments, “Pleasure, rather like humans. Uhm… _physically_ , that is, rather than with our Souls. I-I-It usually takes a bit of ingenuity and magic, depending on how physically different the two Monsters in question are. BUT! T-That’s really not something you have to worry about! Either form of mating is culturally considered private affairs, so it’s not _too_ different from human… er… sex. B-Brio will tell you more about it later… when you grow out of your stripes, so to speak.” I nodded, feeling quite a bit of warmth in my face.

            “Okay, yeah. Great. I just wanted to be sure about that and _now_ we should totally move onto something else. Like… anything else.” Nurse Felix was entirely too happy to comply.

            “Well, we’ve been sitting for a while now! Why not try walking around a bit more?” He held out a paw to help me down before walking beside me, “Well, I’m having trouble thinking of things you should know. You’re going to have _quite_ a bit of leeway since you _feel_ so new and that bout of amnesia. Anyone that knows the basics of your case will excuse gaps in knowledge for the time being. I guess that you should be told about what’s happened since we got out from the underground? The first month or so was really rough. Monsters were highly discouraged from… well, everything. It wasn’t uncommon for a riot to break out and for Monsters to go… well, missing. Presumed dead really, since it’s rather hard to find a Monster’s remains in most environments given the constant changes in weather and how little humans pay attention to piles of dust. I’m not going to say that it’s _totally_ safe outside of the inner parts of the Monster districts, but violence has really fallen since that first month. When you’re cleared, I’d _highly_ recommend staying near Monster residences. A law passed recently that cleared Monsters for offensive magic use in self-defense, but above a certain level and you need to go in for testing and get a license. Sort of like a concealed carry license, so to speak. It documents which Monsters are capable of what types of magic. As a kid, you’ll have a while before you need to worry about that, though.” I stopped next to a particularly thriving patch of golden buttercups.

            “Is there a particular government body that handles Monsters? Like how the Native Americans have their own tribal governments?” Nurse Felix paused only for a moment before replying.

            “Well, it’s still rather new, but when a Monster breaks a law, they can’t be held in the same space as humans, as a precaution. We also have a Monster, whose identity is held in absolute secrecy, that is magically capable of judging others and is sanctioned by Queen Toriel herself. But the odds of you encountering the Judge is very rare, at least, in a professional capacity, since the Judge decides based on how much EXP someone has gained. There’s actually a law in the works that will implement Monster technology to speed up the justice system based on the ability to see how much EXP a person has gained. It won’t be an automatic guilty, of course, since self-defense is a possibility, but it will ensure that no one is brought to court for murder when they haven’t _actually_ murdered anyone.” I had so many questions, but I was already _far_ too tired to consider them.

            “So… Monsters can be tried in court, I’m assuming?” I said, slowly making my way out of the garden and back to my room.

            “Yes, but due to how physically fragile Monsters are, the ultimate punishment is decided by Queen Toriel. Prison, as of right now, is not an option due to how easily a Monster can be killed. But Monsters have been extremely mindful of the law and nothing major has occurred yet for it to be more than a hypothetical question. I suppose all this technical talk has tired you out, Sasha?” Nurse Felix said as he opened up the door back into the hospital. I nodded with a heavy yawn as we reached the halfway point.

            “Yeah… thanks for answering my questions, Nurse Felix.” He smiled sheepishly and patted my head.

            “It’s no problem, really, and just call me Felix. Consider the startlingly wide variety of topics we’ve covered, I think we can handle being on a first name basis.” Felix said with a chuckle as he held open the door for me.

            “Alright, night Felix…”

            “Night Sasha. Don’t forget to brush your fur and your teeth.” Felix said with a smirk. I stuck my tongue out but headed to the bathroom anyway. I was _so_ ready for bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh! Hey, you kind of look like you were expecting someone... /weird/... Not like I was supposed to write Alphys and Toriel but totally got side tracked with hypotheticals and shit... Anyway, I thought it would be a bit weird for the sex-Ed bit after the question of how she sought comfort from Barry, but considering how young I was when I took sex-Ed (like fifth grade I think?) as sort of a heads-up thing, it would make sense for Sasha to /not/ want to be blindsided in case something happened. Especially considering how different the cultures are so far, which we see here. I didn't intend to get to technical, but I sort of got caught up in the realization that judging by the current headcannon of magic bodies and the canon lack of gendering, this is literally the most logical conclusion I could come up with. Still don't know for sure what Burgerpants would be called. Maybe the same thing, but as a positive thing? Like, he did so well he bought new clothes and someone jokingly called it his 'burgerpants' and was all like 'hey Burgerpants!' or maybe just BP? *Shrugs* I don't know. Underswap is very... odd. And I have a difficult time navigating Tumblr, which is the source of like... %99.994 of the AUs, hence my tendency to take the general tone or theme and go wherever my mind takes me. Like with Sketchy as Hell.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to comment, request, or recommend! I LOVE feedback and it really fills me with Determination!


	8. Of Royal Intrique and Coloring Books... Not in that Order Though.

            It was dark all around me and a sense of peace filled the air. I didn’t know where I was but the lack of light didn’t scare me. Then I heard it. Light footsteps behind me, their echoes seeming to carry with them a visual ripple of color, like a rainbow. For several moments, I just kept my eyes on the ground, watching as the ripples reached my feet and made new ripples. Then they stopped just behind me, but I didn’t feel scared. Just… really sad.

            “It’s okay…” the voice was a smooth tenor, sending a new ripple of color around me.

            “I’m sorry…” my voice echoed in the silence, but my lips never moved. The heavy scent of dust almost choking as black receded into gray.

            “There’s nothing you could have done… _It’s okay, Sasha… **Wake up**_.”

\--The first time someone tried the trumpet fanfare, Toriel glared until they stopped.—

            I woke up suddenly, my breathing hitched and my claws almost embedded into the Barry’s fur. The gentle, mundane sounds relaxed me as I stretched out my legs from their cramped fetal position. I glanced at the clock and it was barely eight in the morning. Shrugging, I scooted out of the bed and made my way to the bathroom to change. I’m pretty sure I saw another set of clothes in the bag Brio brought yesterday. After changing into a pretty roomy black and red striped sweater and loose gray pants, I brushed my teeth, deciding to brush my fur on the hospital bed. I didn’t want to push my luck with brushing my tail while standing. I was surprised to see Felix changing the sheets.

            “Oh! Hey, sleepyhead! I just have to change the sheets and blankets and my shift will be over. Breakfast will be served in about an hour.” I nodded and watched quietly as Felix made the most pristine bed I had ever seen. I had never seen corners tucked _quite_ like that before.

            “Those are some amazing looking corners.” Felix looked up in confusion before laughing in understanding.

            “Oh! Yeah, we’re taught how to fold the sheets like this because of how nice and proper it looks. You should see some of Vicky’s beds. She folds hers _military_ style.” I snorted a little and cautiously sat down on the bed, running the brush over my head, “You had long hair before, didn’t you?” I stopped and looked at him.

            “Yeah, actually… I did.” He nodded in understanding.

            “Small note, unless it looks _really bad_ , don’t worry about your paws or anything covered by clothing. You should still brush areas like your back and chest, but only occasionally, since you wear clothes over it more often than not. If the fur is short, the brush strokes don’t need to be. Oh, and you _might_ grow… well, _hair_ on your head. Some Monsters do after a time, even if it doesn’t technically make sense. Like, Bratty and Catty have hair, despite Bratty being an Alligator Monster and Catty a Cat Monster like me. It isn’t a huge thing, but just a small heads up, so to speak, if you ever notice your fur a bit full on the top.” I frowned at my brush, uncertain how to feel about that. I could grow _more_ hair?

            “Huh… Thanks for the warning Felix. Oh, and have a good day, I guess.” Felix smiled and briskly ruffled the fur on the top of my head, ignoring my complaints as he skipped out of the room.

            “No problem, Sasha!” _Bastard_ , I thought to myself as I ran the brush over my head again. I moved my tail into my lap and began steadily working through the dense and long fur. There were a surprising amount of knots in my tail and it was strange to fight my tail when it tried to twitch out of my grasp. Several minutes and a respectable amount of loose fur later, my tail looked quite pristine. Well then… now what do I do? I looked around the room, looking for something to do with my spare time. It was then I spotted it. A coloring book with a package of coloring pencils on the bedside table. Rather than the large, easy to color children’s coloring book, it seemed to be one of those ‘fill in these insanely detailed pictures to waste time’ books. Full of whimsical and optimistic phrases such as ‘Better than Boredom’ and ‘Wow, So Much Detail’. In that single moment, I liked Felix a _whole_ lot more.

            I pulled back the blankets and settled in, adjusting the odd little table so I could color until literally anything else happens. I started on the page with a plethora of random flowers and the words ‘Do I Still Have to Go Outside?’ in a cheerful and bubbly format. I don’t know who made this, but I just want to be best friends with them. Seriously.

            I sat there, hunched over and coloring to the best of my ability until another nurse came in with a tray of what appeared to be cream of wheat, toast, and a small serving of miscellaneous fruit. Oh, and a cute little box of apple juice. Nice. I smiled politely and thanked the… Ferret Monster? I don’t know, they kind of looked like one. Regardless, I put down my yellow pencil and steadily worked my way through the tasty meal. I was almost done when Brio came in, looking rather nice in a white blouse and a dark blue skirt.

            “Hey, Sasha! I see they’ve been keeping you occupied.” I smirked a little at the amused expression Brio had. Probably because I put stereotypical ‘unimpressed teen’ faces on each and every flower. In rather lovely detail and shading.

            “Yeah, I’m pretty sure Felix left it in here before he got off work.” I said, polishing off the fruit and apple juice, “Who was supposed to come over today again?” I asked, setting my plate far away enough that I could go back to coloring. Brio took a seat next to the bed, smiling at Barry’s seat in my lap before replying.

            “Well, Alphys, the Captain of the Royal Guard, is coming by to finish up the paperwork and get a statement. Maybe, just _maybe_ , Queen Toriel will swing by to introduce herself.” Brio said softly, “She’s been patching things up with Asgore, her… husband? I’m not sure, Monsters don’t really _divorce_ after a Soul Bond… Anyway, Queen Toriel has been exceedingly busy since we came to the surface, Asgore taking on some lesser, but important political roles to help smooth the process. Including sharing custody of Chara, the human child that broke the barrier.” A small thought occurred to me.

            “Wait, so you mean Sans has a playdate… with _royalty_?” Brio laughed.

            “Well, yes. Sans is an incredibly friendly Monster. Despite the high population, it was still rather… small in the underground. Everyone knew everyone, and talking to royalty isn’t as… incredible as it is for humans.” I nodded, trying to wrap my head around yet _another_ difference between my old and new culture, “Oh is… is Captain Alphys going to… well, are they going to need to know my _full_ name?” Brio paused before nodding.

            “Well, yes… I imagine she would. I’m not certain of all the background things, but for the records at least, she will likely need them. Not to mention your previous school records. You won’t be cleared for school until you can stay at home _all_ day, but it will eventually be relevant.” Brio said, frowning at my troubled expression, “Is there… something you wish to speak about, Sasha?” I shifted uncomfortably. Where did I even start?

            “Well… sort of. Just don’t… don’t expect _a lot_ from my grades. T-That’s all…” Brio looked like she knew there was more to it but nodded.

            “That’s alright. If you have any trouble in schooling, we can work through it. Besides, technically speaking, you’re already ahead by leaps and bound, having _technically_ been born only a few days ago.” Brio said in good humor. I snorted a little.

            “Yeah, I guess so…” a small and somewhat timid knock echoed against the door, “Uhm, come in?” I said uncertainly, watching as Dr. Undyne opened the door, followed by a slightly shorter but much more intimidating yellow lizard lady in what looked like gladiator armor. Captain Alphys’ left eye covered in an eye patch with slight scar tissue peeking out.

            “Good morning, Sasha. How are you feeling today?” Dr. Undyne asked politely.

            “I’m feeling pretty good, Dr. Undyne. Are you Captain Alphys?” I asked, turning slightly towards the amicable warrior lizard. Captain Alphys chuckled, resting her fists on her waists.

            “You bet ‘cha! My sweetheart’s told me all about you, Sasha, it’s nice to meet you!” Captain Alphys declared, reaching out to shake my hand in a firm and just slightly tight grip, “No need for that ‘Captain’ stuff. I just need to ask a few questions and I’ll be on my way so my baby can do her thing.” Alphys said, grinning up at Dr. Undyne happily. They were really cute together, I have to admit. A bit of an odd couple, but more than happy, and that was what really mattered.

            “Alright. Lay it on me, Alphys.” I said, leaning back and drawing Barry up closer to my chest. Alphys pushed the second chair up a little and sat down while Dr. Undyne went to the other side and fiddled with the odd machine I never actually paid attention to, occasionally writing something down.

            “Okay, so what was your name when you were human and your birthday?” Alphys asked, pulling out a notepad and a pencil that looked suspiciously like a Mew Mew Kissy Cutie wand. I had never actually gotten into the series, it _was_ rather old, but I had seen enough to recognize the iconic ‘transformation wand’ that every magical girl anime seemed to have. Was that still a thing?

            “My full name is… or was, I guess, Sasha Violet Moore, and I was born September the fifteenth. Currently, I am seventeen… or I was, I guess?” I said, a little uncertain if my age still carried over. Alphys nodded, making a small note.

            “Okay, can you tell me about the last day you can remember?” I nodded.

            “Well, it was the eighteenth of June and I went out for a walk…”

_Such a waste of potential! We could be so much more influential if you could just pull your own weight!_

            “Is that… all?” Alphys asked in confusion when I trialed off. I shook my head.

            “Well, sort of. There wasn’t anyone around and it was about mid-day and suddenly, I smelled it. This _really_ sweet scent and I just… couldn’t stand anymore. I fell over in a matter of moments. The next thing I remember, I was standing in an alley just a ways off from Brio’s stand, my head shaved and wearing scrubs.” I finished lamely. Alphys nodded.

            “Alright. That’s fine, it gives us a window at least, but don’t hesitate to contact me or my bae if you remember anything, alright?” I nodded at Alphys’ stern look, “Okay! Now, things are a little complicated right now, but do you want to… contact your parents?” I looked down at Barry, uncertain of how to say it. Thankfully, I didn’t have to.

            “Actually… she looked up their social media page… it seems after a few days, they declared her dead… and they seem to be very anti-monster.” Brio said uncertainly, reaching up to gently rub my back.

            “Y-Yeah… not really surprised. So, if possible, I’d like to just… leave my last and middle name behind… Sasha Moore is dead.” I said woodenly, my paw running over Barry’s fur. I didn’t look up to see their reactions… I didn’t want to know.

            “W-Well… that makes it easier then. If you’d like, you can take Brio’s last name. Funny story, Monster’s didn’t have last names in the underground. Well, not unless you were a big name or royalty. No need. We didn’t move around the different areas very much. So, like quite a few Monsters, Brio just took up the name of where she lived. Snowdin. Or you could just go by Sasha. It drives the human government nuts that not every monster has a last name, but we rarely need them, we all look so different!” I snorted a little and looked up at Brio, who only smiled encouragingly.

            “I think… that would be nice.” I said softly, Brio rubbing the area behind my ear a little. It felt really nice, surprising… or not really. Alphys nodded happily and put away her notepad and pen.

            “Alright, well besides that, I guess I should tell you some other stuff. As of right now, only a very small handful of people, monster _or_ human, know about you. Considering what happened shortly after you were found, we assume that it was an inside job of Monster experimentation. So, it’s literally just the human President and his Advisor that knows besides everyone in this room, the Queen, and a Nurse Felix. Considering the… delicate nature of this, you are allowed to inform _only_ people who have been cleared of your origins. So, if you get close to someone and decide to tell, which is your right, you have to clear it with _me_ , got it?” I nodded decisively, “Good. And besides a few adjustments for your education and regular check-ups with my bae, you should be able to live your life normally as a Monster. On a side note, your official records as a Monster will be adjusted for your rebirth, not your human birthday. We can’t really fabricate your existence as a Monster before the barrier broke, not even with the whole ‘exploding Soul’ thing. But don’t let that hold you back from celebrating it as you normally would. There’s no ‘birthday’ police, not even in the underground.” I giggled a little as Alphys stood up from her seat and ruffled my head.

            “Alright, thanks Alphys.”

            “You’re welcome squirt.” I huffed a little, letting it sink in that I was, very suddenly, not even a year old. How… dizzying. Dr. Undyne moved over to embrace Alphys shyly before her… wife? Girlfriend? Well, before Alphys left. But she didn’t even make it to the door before stopping.

            “Oh! Queen Toriel, I didn’t expect to see you this early!” Dr. Undyne said to a large figure outside the door.

            “It is quite alright, Undyne. I just wanted to check in with the youth and introduce myself. Can you spare a moment of your time, Alphys? I wish to speak with you afterwards.” The smooth and gentle voice sounded distinctly feminine.

            “Of course, Queen Toriel. I’ll be making a few calls out here while I wait.”

            “Thank you, Alphys.” Captain Alphys moved back to let in the Queen. I was… somehow surprised to see her appearance. It looked like her features were bovine inspired, but she had small white horns, like a goat. Her fur was entirely white and she wore a light purple pantsuit, an odd symbol in white on her blue top. It looked like a circle with wings above three triangles, the middle one pointing down and lower than the other two. It was rather strange, but she looked rather regal and nice. Her eyes were completely dark, but not unkind as she took in my features with a gentle smile.

            “Uhm… hello, your Majesty?” I said uncertainly, causing her to laugh a little.

            “Greetings Sasha, Brio… There is no need for formalities. I only wish to be called ‘Queen’ or any such title in formal occasions.” She looked at the door with a sly smile, “Though I have long since given up trying to convince others of such things. You may call me Toriel or Mrs. Dreemurr, if you prefer.” She said, taking a seat next to Brio, who seemed to be completely respectful but casual about royalty sitting next to her. Dr. Undyne just chuckled nervously and left the room.

            “Oh, well, it’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Dreemurr.” I said, reaching out to shake paws, which Mrs. Dreemurr did without hesitation. Her paw was really warm and engulfed my own.

            “And it is nice to meet you as well, Sasha. I see you have already met Alphys, as well as her protégée Sans and his brother Papyrus.” Mrs. Dreemurr said conversationally.

            “Yes, I have. Everyone’s really nice and it’s quite pleasant.” I chirped happily. It really was nice to converse with other people and not be talked down to or belittled. Mrs. Dreemurr looked somewhat troubled for a moment.

            “Well, I am glad you are having a relatively positive experience so far, Sasha. I am afraid that… others outside the Monster community will not be so nice. While it is not as bad as the first month, there is still much danger with being a Monster. I wished to meet you, in part, to apologize for any future trouble your new… status will bring. I urge you to be cautious in the future, as much as I wish you would find no trouble from now on, it just isn’t very realistic.” I nodded in understanding.

            “That’s really… kind of you, Mrs. Dreemurr, but somewhat unnecessary.” I laughed a little darkly, “After all, out of anyone in this room, I of all people should know how unpleasant humans can be.” Mrs. Dreemurr smiled sadly.

            “Yes… I suppose you would. Nevertheless, I urge you to be careful. And not just because you are the only lead we have for suspected Monster experimentation… Your new status brings with it great weakness. Monsters are… particularly weak to physical attacks, and some humans have an especially low opinion of Monsters. We have lost so many innocent lives and you have already gone through so much in the past week alone… as my newest subject, I am afraid I can only offer you advice, rather than complete safety in this uncertain world.” Mrs. Dreemurr informed me gravely. I took a moment to look at the situation from her perspective. She had an entire race of people depending on her, and suddenly I come along. A strange new addition to her people and likely the only lead to a very shady situation. Not to mention she seems to bear a particularly heavy weight on her shoulders that seems to stem from guilt of some kind. I wonder what happened?

            “It’s okay…” I said, echoing the strange dream I had almost forgotten about, “I know that your positon is… less than ideal. In a lot of ways. And I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. Really, I do. But if the Monsters I’ve met so far are any indication… I’m going to be just fine. I’ve had more kindness and understanding in the past… forty-eight hours than I have had in the entire seventeen years as a human. And that’s quite remarkable. It really is.” Brio looked suspiciously teary as Mrs. Dreemurr sighed.

            “I only hope you do not find cause to regret surviving your ordeal, Sasha. I really do. Your maturity is quite astounding…” Mrs. Dreemurr commented wistfully.

            “Well, I’m pretty useless at everything else, so what else can I be?” I said before I could catch myself. Mrs. Dreemurr frowned briefly before smiling pleasantly.

_So damn useless, why can’t you do better?!_

            “I think you will find you are capable of so much, Sasha. I wish you a swift recovery and a good day to you, Brio. Perhaps I will drop by and order some of your delicious Cinna-Bunnies in the near future?” Mrs. Dreemurr said to Brio, who nodded eagerly.

            “I always have plenty in stock, Toriel.” Brio said happily. Mrs. Dreemurr nodded and stood up, waving good bye and leaving the room. I let out a sigh. That was… oddly rocky and pleasant at the same time.

            “Hey, Brio…” She looked at me, “Can we go for a walk in the garden? I think I could use some air.” Brio laughed a little and nodded, reaching out to help support me in case I needed it to get out of bed. But my will is too strong for such silly things like 'short height', ‘weak legs’, or ‘odd balance’. At least, that’s what I told myself before nearly slipping on the linoleum floor. Brio and I cracking up, her paws firm and gentle on my shoulders.

\--One last thing.—

            Alphys waited outside for Queen Toriel to finish talking to Sasha. Personally, she rather like the squirt. They reminded Alphys of Chara a bit. Physically, not much strength, but it’s their character that will really get to you. There was a bit of steel in that spine… and some personal issues as well. She’ll have to drop her girl some hints to see if she had anything to help Sasha out a bit.

            “What have you found out?” Alphys jumped a little and looked over to Queen Toriel, noting how empty the area was.

            “Well, someone high up is definitely behind Sasha’s kidnapping. Standard protocol is that someone reported missing can’t be declared dead until _after_ two months, but it was only a few days before Sasha’s parents were holding a service. I got some people digging into their family history… I don’t like it, your Majesty. The whole thing _reeks_ like bad sushi.” Alphys growled unhappily, Queen Toriel nodding as well.

            “Yes… for someone so mature, Sasha seems to hold a startlingly low sense of self. Or perhaps a rather self-deprecating sense of humor.” Queen Toriel noted unhappily. Alphys clicked her tongue.

            “You noticed too? She hasn’t said anything about it yet, but she might be developing body issues due to her change in species. I’m having Undyne give her some videos or something to help fight that.” Queen Toriel nodded.

            “Yes, it would be incredibly… upsetting if Sasha were to Fall Down because we were not careful…” Alphys looked at Queen Toriel and smiled.

            “I see it was getting to you too, huh? How _new_ Sasha feels? Too new to feel their emotional output despite technically being seventeen…” Queen Toriel nodded. While years wasn’t a serious indicator of age for Monsters like it was in humans, it was quite odd to _know_ Sasha was basically a teen, but to _feel_ essentially like a toddler. Yet another area in which Sasha is the exception.

            “Yes, it was rather… off-putting. Thank you for your time, and please report to me with your findings when you are done, Alphys.” Alphys nodded as Queen Toriel started to walk away.

            “Of course, your Majesty.” Alphys said, checking her phone for any updates. There was a limited edition release of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2 on sale, but she had no interest in that piece of trash… but for such a low price, she _might_ buy it… for the laughs, of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look who posted DOUBLE the chapter size! Neat as hell, isn't it? I thought I should /finally/ deliver on that royal promise. Originally, I wanted to have Toriel in like... armor, like in the only picture I could find of Underswap with the whole cast http:// popcornpr1nce.tumblr .com/post/132976461778/i-present-underswap-almost-the-whole-gang-its
> 
> But then I thought that might be... I don't know, aggressive for human politics? So, I decided on professional pantsuit with Delta Rune. Oh, and the plot thickens, ever so slowly! Which reminds me, since I totally keep forgetting, Sasha is actually inspired by Viziepop's art, you can just look her up on youtube. Particularly this video: https://www. youtube .com/watch?v=-PKNuZovuSw where the main... character I guess, moves quite fluidly. I know she's like... a wolf of some kind, but her general body form (like the chest-breast-fur-bit?) comes from that, because I really like the aesthetic of her character designs for animals. I also almost had Sasha start out... like, really small, as though she was an actual kit, but decided she had enough problems without me adding a 'Napoleon Complex' to the mix. I'm also really on the fence about her having... well, 'hair', since some of the cast does have it (like Undyne, Catty and Bratty) but I also would rather... not? Like, I don't even know... *shakes head* regardless, I totally appreciate your commentary thus far, as this is quite an... interesting territory for me to be in right now. I'm being as realistic as possible with this stuff and the pacing, despite seeming to drag on for quite a bit. Oh! And Sasha actually does have self-esteem issues, which I may or may not have been properly foreshadowing up until now. I don't really know. It's a result of her upbringing itself and it's not happy, it really isn't.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and feel free to comment, question, or recommend! Whatever, I just LOVE feedback (but not LOVE LOVE, if you catch my drift. No murder)! It lets me know how i'm doing, as an author overall, and if you have any nitpicks or anything, feel free! Sometimes, I overlook shit. It happens. Oh, and I bought a Toriel plush from Fangamer with the... 'Enrichment Pack'... all I have to say is this: "You little shits. If it wasn't just a dollar, i'd be pissed, but i'm mostly just mad at myself. Like, I should have /known/." *Groans into the Void and scares Void!Dad. OH! RIGHT! GASTER AND RIVERPERSON SWITCHED IN THIS, SO YOU WILL BE SEEING MR. MOM DAD DUDE, SKELETON MAN IN THIS FIC! God, is Underswap!Gaster cute as hell. Like, seriously, have you /seen/ this dude? I totally see where US!Sans gets his energy. Seriously.


	9. Feeling So Clever, Like a Fox

            It was nice just walking around in the garden with Brio. I was able to appreciate the beauty of the garden in the sunlight, the buttercups glittering like gold with fresh water. Brio smiled as we sat down on the bench.

            “So… Brio?”

            “Yes, Sasha?” I kicked my feet a little before looking up.

            “Well, what do you do… you know, for a living?” Brio huffed playfully and looked at the sparkling water from the fountain.

            “I run a store that mostly sells baked goods. Occasionally, I’ll sell items too. The booth outside my store is mostly so I can still sell some items and enjoy the weather. It’s been getting colder though, so I don’t know for how much longer I can do it. Having a booth outside a shop is actually a pretty common practice for monsters now. Everyone just wants to… enjoy the weather… the sun… the sky.” I nodded. It made sense, “Sasha… I want you to know something…” I looked over at Brio, her ears noticeably lower than usual.

            “Uhm… yeah? What is it that you want me to know?” Brio looked at me with sad eyes.

            “That… despite everything, it’s still you.” Brio said simply before continuing, “You don’t have to change a single thing if you don’t want to. I know that… we’ve basically just met yesterday, but you don’t have to pretend to be anything or anyone but yourself. Your life as a human may be over… but I don’t think that being human was your only defining characteristic, Sasha. You’re sweet, polite, mature, and understanding of others. And I’ve only known you for a few days.” Brio reached over and grabbed my paw, gently clasping it in her own.

            “B-Brio…”

            “ _But_ … I feel greatly honored to have the chance to know even more about you… whenever you’re ready, Sasha. For anything.” I swallowed thickly and nodded, leaning against Brio’s shoulder for comfort. She wrapped her arms around me and we just sat there for a very long time—that phrase ringing in my head.

\-- _Despite everything, it’s still you_.—

            When we got back to my room, Dr. Undyne was reading over a stack of papers in the guest chair.

            “Dr. Undyne?” I asked a little hesitantly, making her jump suddenly. She looked up in confusion before turning towards us.

            “Oh! Brio and Sasha! I just received the files… I didn’t expect to receive them so soon, but _both_ the Queen and the President want this matter resolved quickly so… Anyway, Brio! I have a copy here somewhere for you…” Dr. Undyne said, rifling through the papers until she came across a sealed folder, “I believe it has Sasha’s basic history, grades, and significant health report. Oh! And my other half suggested that I give you this, Sasha. It’s an M-Pad, I designed it a while back for entertainment purposes. There are some videos and shows on there if you get tired of coloring.” Dr. Undyne said, handing me a slick silver tablet.

**You took the M-Pad.**

**Though primarily for entertainment, this item counts as a tool, so, much like a cellphone, it will not take up inventory space.**

            “Oh… uhm… thank you, Dr. Undyne.” I said, feeling a little confused. Did Dr. Undyne create a Monster version of the Pear-Pad? Steve Works’ company must be tanking really hard right now… Dr. Undyne smiled bashfully.

            “I-It’s nothing, really. Anyway, that’s all I needed to do with you today. Everything else is looking good. Keep up the good work, Sasha.” Dr. Undyne said as she left the room. Suddenly, I felt a little nervous about Brio having my file. Ignoring the odd, sinking feeling in my stomach… or rather, the area where my stomach _would be_ , I sat down on the bed and familiarized myself with the new M-Pad. Brio sat down in her usual seat and began going through the folder.

            The M-Pad was pretty neat. The interface was smooth and I didn’t see a power bar anywhere… now that I think about it, I didn’t get a charger from Dr. Undyne either… I noticed a rather… _obscene_ amount of anime available. And a rather lonely video titled ‘Nabstabot’s Origin Story”. I think I’ll leave that for later. Every once in a while Brio would make a small noise that I couldn’t discern if it was interest or something else. After a time, she closed the folder and looked over at me in contemplation.

            “Sasha… if I may… What happened during your fourth year? Your grades were rather impressive and then…” Brio shrugged, “Then very consistent below average.” Brio finished lamely. Ah… I’m not surprised she noticed. It _was_ very obvious.

            “Well… that was the year the economy took a sharp dive. Things got a little tight at home. I… slipped and never really caught back up.” I tried to ignore the three hour long lecture that still rang in my ears after so many years. It was rather surprising how quickly my parents lost ‘hope’ for me after my poor grades started to look permanent rather than a fluke. Brio nodded mildly.

            “Well, we can work on it later. You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but Papyrus, and Sans, have quite a few degrees. Their father is also quite intelligent, though he preferred people to science. Sailed the boat between the different sections of the underground for transportation. Friendly and energetic. Sans takes after him quite a lot.” Brio said conversationally, as though the concept of another Sans wasn’t horrifying in the least. How has the world not exploded yet? But I was distracting myself from the unexpected warmth that blossomed in my chest. It was just… so unlike my usual experience…

_Look. Another report card of disappointment. Useless waste of space…_

            I smiled brightly and picked up the coloring book again. It was quite nice to have that support. I shaded another flower as we both enjoyed the companionable silence. I barely noticed slipping away into sleep as Brio tucked me in.

\--Not so much tired as plot point.—

            _It was a strange hallway, each wall seeming to be… paper doors? Shadows dancing in every frame by candlelight, like people partying it up, but I couldn’t hear anything but the chime of bells. My feet moved of their own accord all the way to the end of the hall, where a door was open just a crack._

 _“_ Come in _,_ lost child _.” The voice was feminine and husky, calling me into the room. The door slid open to reveal a mostly empty room. In the middle was a large pallet of fabric where a woman in odd robes sat regally. Her skin was pale and her face obscured by a paper fan with cherry blossoms painted on its surface. The only thing I could actually see, besides an elegant hand, was a pair of golden eyes with red eye shadow and thick black hair held up with an elaborate display of jewelry filled with what appeared to be pearls. To her right was a large paper lantern that cast a heavy shadow on the thin paper wall to her left… I’m starting to detect a trend here. When the door slid shut I was suddenly free to move._

 _“_ E-Excuse me, but where am I? Who are you? _” Husky laughter filled the air, but it didn’t come from the woman. She was still and silent, her shadow flickering irritably._

 _“_ By old standards… you are impertinent. _But_ , I, more than anyone, know that the passing of time changing all things. Sit, lost child. And I will tell you. _” She inclined her head down to a much smaller mat of pillows. Silently, I sat down, finally noticing the odd clothes I was wearing. They were billowy and had many layers. They felt soft, but reminded me of silk bathrobes with loose pants of a similar make. This time, the woman did chuckle, watching as I struggled to sit comfortably with my new legs, “_ You are so _new_ , lost child… I had to wait to invite you here, lest I upset the balance of your Soul… _” She said mystically. I wasn’t sure what to say, but being polite never hurt anyone._

 _“_ W-Well then… thank you for inviting me into your… paper party house? I’m sorry if I’m being rude… it’s just a little confusing. _” She blinked at me and chuckled again._

 _“_ It would be… odd if you knew everything already, lost child. You may call me your ‘Lady’. It is, by all standards, my title. You are my youngest kit to date. But even by my Earth’s standards, your birth was strange. As such, it affords you… different rights. At the moment, you are not… _kit_ enough for me to tell you the history of our kind… But I can initiate you. Monsters tell you there is danger to be found because of your new form, and they do not lie, but not _every_ danger comes in the form of a human. And as such, I shall give you _this_. _” From somewhere under her robes she pulled out an odd ring. It was a thick silver band with a dime sized black pearl imbedded into it. It looked like there was a… star etched into the surface of the pearl, “_ I would deeply recommend you not remove this. **_Ever_**. For our… distant brethren, it symbolizes you are under the protection of my people. Despite having not wondered the mortal realm in so very long, it is wise to not provoke a _Vixen’s_ _Wrath_. When you finally recall what you have forgotten, you will find your way back, and _that_ is when I will tell you our history… Welcome into my Earth, young Kit. May your wit see you through to the bitter end. _” My… Lady? Well, My Lady reached over with a clawed hand and grasped my left ear, a searing heat washed through me as the candlelight flickered. But that didn’t explain the writhing shadow of My Lady, which suddenly appeared to have many tails._

\--Personally, I’d label that pearl as an Akoya. Fancy, am I right?—

            I jerked awake, my eyes seeking Brio immediately. She looked a little startled from the phone in her lap.

            “Sasha! Are you alright?” I took a shuddering breath and nodded.

            “Y-Yeah… I’m… I’m fine… just a… really weird dream.” But Brio seemed fixed on something to my left.

            “Sasha… how did you get that earring? It’s quite nice but… I don’t recall you having that before.” I reached up to my left ear and found a thick ring… the earring My Lady gave me… in a somewhat brutal and sudden fashion. It was just a little way from the base of my ear, high enough that it would hang down if my ear was perked up. It seemed to seamlessly meld into my ear, despite being a thick band to house a dime sized pearl.

            “Uhm… I had a really weird dream where a Lady in odd clothes gave it to me… Welcoming me into her ‘Earth’ or something.” Brio frowned, her whiskers twitching.

            “Well… I’ll ask around about that, but for the moment, don’t worry about it, alright? And… My Lady?” I shook my head.

            “She said I was to call her that. She gives off a very… regal air, like Mrs. Dreemurr.” Brio sat back in confusion.

            “Huh…”

            “Huh…” we both said and just sat there for a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hah! I had a plot egg that exploded, and it BEGINS!!! So, can you guys figure out what i'm alluding to here? Like... wow. I'm so tired. Seriously. I don't know what to say. Just...
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and feel free to comment or whatever! I'm going to take a shower and sleep. Hopefully.


	10. Despite Everything...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I selected theme music for Sasha!
> 
> Remove the spaces before WWW and com
> 
> Genocide Run: Creepy old music box – “When Memories Break”  
> https:// www.youtube. com/watch?v=0ewQiU3q5jM
> 
> Normal (Casual): Anime Music Box – Butterfly [Music Box] *This one is the music mentioned in the chapter.  
> https:// www.youtube. com/watch?v=VO9XRoDKxF4
> 
> Normal (Battle): “Never be alone” by Shawn Mendes – Music Box Tribute  
> https:// www.youtube. com/watch?v=9HfsBQL9Ppk

            Brio had left again just after lunch, swearing to be back around dinner time. She could only take off so much time from her shop and I understood that. That was how I found myself scrolling through the obscene amount of anime and considering the Nabstabot origin story video. No one came by very often and I _was_ quite bored. Tapping the screen the video loaded and Nabstabot appeared on the screen in all his box-like glory.

            “Good evening folks! If you’re watching this you somehow managed to get an exclusive video of my rocking origin story! Well, without any more delay, let’s begin!” Nabstabot spun around and two strange houses appeared in the background. They looked like tall blob things leaning to the opposing side in blue and pink, “This is where I used to live with my cousin Hapstablook! He’s a ghost though, so I can’t really show you a picture, but I did make a killer correction so you can get the idea!” in metallic pink sharpie a cute little ghost with bangs swept to the side and covering one eye, “Now, you might be wondering how this awesome robot can be related to a ghost! And that _is_ an excellent question! You see, I used to be a ghost myself, but life on a snail farm just didn’t cut it for me! I wanted to make music for the masses and inspire people in the underground and on the surface! So my pal Undyne, the Royal Scientist helped make my dreams come true with this rockin’ body you see now! I even have a secondary mode that’s absolutely _killer_! But it needs a little work, but I do have some pictures of it!”

            The altered picture of the ghost houses and Hapstablook was replaced with a completely different robot. This one looked almost completely human but had steel gray skin and white hair. He wore a blue jacket with a matching cap pulled backwards and headphones around his neck. He looked quite nice.

            “As a ghost, I can possess object to use as a body. Most of my family just settled down in a training dummy, so I was really happy to have such a killer body! But… there was some trouble in the beginning.” Nabstabot’s form seemed to slump a little, “For several weeks I was totally bummed out. I refused to leave my room and I didn’t talk to anyone for quite a while. You see, dear viewer, while I was pleased with my new body but I was experiencing very strange feelings about it. Suddenly, I wasn’t Nabstablook the Ghost anymore. I was a robot. I was having something of an identity crisis. I mean… if I wasn’t a ghost anymore… was I still… me?” Woah there, I didn’t ask for relatable feelings and angst, “And I _asked_ for this, so I even felt like I didn’t have a right to such feelings. It was… really a difficult time for me.” The subtle music in the background turned melancholy. Damnit, I didn’t ask for feelings, you relatable bastard! Then Nabstabot perked up a bit.

            “But I had great support from my friends and family! So, I dedicate this message to anyone who is dealing with change, particularly physical change.” The camera zoomed in on Nabstabot’s face, “You have every right to your emotions, don’t you _ever_ think otherwise _or_ let anyone tell you differently. Whether it’s a new limb or a whole new body you find yourself with, just remember one thing… _Despite everything, it’s still you_. You are not defined by your appearance or your body, it is merely the vessel for your Soul, and that is something never _truly_ changes, regardless of what you go through. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this special video and have a killer future!” and the video ended with a rather cheerful beat box send off. Well, that didn’t nearly send me into tears or anything. But just in case I wiped at my oddly damp eyes and fur, taking in deep calming breaths. That was ridiculously sweet… shaking my head, I put the M-Pad away and took out the coloring book, taking a moment to look at my paws. They hadn’t miraculously changed in the least. The exposed pads of my fingers and palm was still black, the fur a creamy white with the salt and pepper fingerless glove markings, and my claws a dark gray that still needed to be filed down a bit.

            But… despite everything… was it really still me? And for the first time, I realized that rather than a heartbeat, I had something else. It was deeper and more pervasive, thrumming rather than wetly thumping. My awareness of this new sensation caused me to feel the odd vibrations moving through my body. Was it… my Soul? I looked over at the rather ignored Soul monitor and found the thrumming matched the beat of the machine. If I concentrated I could actually hear what seemed to be the gentle and cheerful tune of a music box. How odd.

            I huffed and shook my head. I could ask about it later, for now I’ll just color another page of my sassy book. This one had a large amount of cats and said ‘You have got to be kitten me right now’. I think for this one I’ll color every cat as an actual mascot cat that I know of. Starting with Disgruntled Cat. Sure, the cat in question was smiling, but that’s what the black pencil was for. Time to get creative… more or less.

            I was actually almost half way through with the picture when Brio came back with more food again. This time it seemed to be… tacos? They seemed to shimmer in the light. Noticing my odd look, Brio laughed a little.

            “Papyrus came by to deliver this. Since Sans couldn’t visit, he made a meal for us. I’m pleased to note that his skills have gotten better since he left the underground. I see you didn’t suffer too much while I was gone.” Brio noted, looking at the page of wacky cats. I laughed a little.

            “Yeah, I’ve been pretty occupied. Oh, I also noticed something… at first, I thought that there wasn’t anything in here.” I pointed towards my chest, “Or rather, nothing that makes noise like I’m used to. But then, I noticed an odd thrumming and if I listened closely… I could hear… music? Is that… is that normal?” Brio seemed surprised.

            “Oh! Well, yes and no. You see… well why don’t you start eating first and then I’ll explain.” Brio said, handing me two tacos with a small serving of salad and a healthy sized juice box.

**Mweh!**

**You took Sans’ Tacos (with a healthy serving of salad with fruit punch)!**

**Despite inexplicably sparkling, it looks pretty good!**

**\+ 25 HP!**

            “Thanks… I’ll have to remember to thank Sans the next time I see him too.” I said, taking a modest bite of the taco. It tasted pretty good. Not too spicy and it didn’t drip with grease, which was always a concern with tacos when I usually eat them. The salad wasn’t bad either, the greens and vegetables were quite crisp.

            “Okay, well, every Monster experiences the… music. Usually, we can’t hear it. We become so used to it that we just ignore it, much like you probably did with your heartbeat. It’s not that you didn’t have this music before, it was just nearly impossible to ever hear as a human because of how physical your body was. When a Soul is totally stable, it will begin playing music, this music will change depending on your emotional situation. Or even in a battle. I’ll leave a note for Dr. Undyne so she can check your Soul tomorrow morning. You must be recovering faster than we thought.” Brio mused before turning her attention back to me, “Which is good news! It really is, since it means that you _might_ be able to leave the hospital sooner. Who knows, if the results are good enough, you might just have to make weekly visits rather than nightly stays.” Brio noted happily.

            “Well then, that _does_ sound good! Not that this hospital isn’t nice, I’d just like to… well, not be here.” I finished lamely, causing Brio to laugh and nod her head.

            “I can’t really blame you!” Brio said laughingly. Felix showed up in the doorway.

            “Hey now, you can’t be having fun without me!” Felix exclaimed. Today, his scrubs had small cartoon weather signs all over them with various expressions. It was actually rather cute.

            “Oh! Are visiting hours almost over?” Felix nodded, “I didn’t even notice, it feels like I just got here…” Brio softly stated. Felix nodded in understanding.

            “Yeah, it’ll feel like that. Say… did you get a piercing, Sasha? It looks good…” Felix noted. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I looked at Brio. Do I mention I got it from a Lady in my dream or just take the compliment? Brio shrugged. Well thanks for all your support, Brio. I really appreciate it.

            “Uhm… it’s a little weird but… I got it from a dream? Literally?” Felix scrunched up his features in confusion.

            “Huh…”

            “Yeah…” Felix idly touched his own ear.

            “I think… I should probably report that… to… someone?” Felix muttered in confusion. It _was_ a weird occurrence. Brio laughed a little and stood up.

            “Well, I think I’ll head home now. I left another change of clothes, so be sure to clean up before bed, alright Sasha?” Brio said kindly as she embraced me.

            “Sure thing…” Brio left after that, leaving a very confused Felix.

            “So… you got jewelry from a dream lady?”

            “My Lady.” I corrected without thought. Felix just looked at me in confusion.

            “Huh?” I sighed. This was going to be a weird conversation… but not as weird as the sex-ed talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small bit where Sasha watches the origin video for Nabstabot. By the by, i'm glad it wasn't totally mysterious as to what new creature I introduced in the last chapter but I must say, of all the abilities the Kitsune are rumored to have, you focus on shapeshifting? Not foxfire, illusions, possession, or possible time/space manipulation? Well, clearly i'll have to limit what Sasha can do, but for a very concise summary of the Kitsune and possible powers, please refer to this website: http://www. cyberus. ca/~foxtrot/kitsune/kitsune1.htm
> 
> Also, story time! I had an ADVENTURE the other day. So, no one wants to be responsible in this house and do dishes, and I ran out of Dr. Pepper. So, I wanted to make tea but I wanted to use filtered water, which would take attaching a brita filter, which is quite bulky. However, I couldn't quite reach the water with all the dishes in the way so I went to remove the filter. Ironically, all it would have taken was pushing the little white tabs on the side, but I was tired and completely ignored it for brute force... and broke the spigot of the faucet. Embarrassed but resigned, I walked a forty minute walk to Walmart and a forty minute walk back for a new faucet and struggled with removing the old one for about two hours. I mostly succeeded, but discovered that the water supply lines didn't quite fit anymore, and promptly gave up for the day. The NEXT day, I looked under the sink again to measure it and realized that the hot and cold water lines weren't even, and I had mixed up the water lines... so after an hour of wrestling with my brother's wrench, I managed to completely install the new faucet... only to discover the brita filter won't fit on the new faucet, so no one will be getting filtered water for quite some time. My hands were cut all to hell and I refuse to do replace the faucet again. There's a reason i'm an English major and not a engineering one.
> 
>  
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and feel free to comment or request something! There's still quite I bit I have planned and things to look forward to. Like, will Sasha get to go home with Brio and for how long? Well, I guess we can find out next time!


	11. Who I Was and Who I Will Be...

            As it turns out, it wasn’t incredibly weird explaining my dream to Felix. He seemed mostly concerned with the effects of the earring.

            “You know, way before the war, I heard they used to show allegiance to certain clans in this way. Humans _and_ Monsters. Small tokens to prove relation to an important figure or some cause. But since it came from a _dream_ , I can’t help but wonder who it is. I mean, the Lady seemed rather mysterious. Capable of magic but with a human appearance. Almost no monster is capable of that sort of thing.” I shrugged my shoulders.

            “I really don’t know. What really bothers me is how she wouldn’t tell me the history because I wasn’t ‘kit’ enough. What did she mean by that?” I muttered irritably. Felix scratched his chin in thought.

            “Well… it sounds like a pun, but you’re pretty much a fox already. Not sure how you can become _more of a fox_.” He shook his head, “Regardless, it sounds like you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow. You should try and get some sleep.” Felix stated. I huffed a little.

            “Alright… after I clean up.” he smiled.

            “It’s a good thing you don’t have bad hygiene habits! I mean, even if you _could_ go without a shower every day as a human, you’re a furry Monster now. You’d be surprised how much dirt can build up in your coat.” He said. I huffed again and playfully shoved him away so I could gather a new set of clothes. I snickered at the black and white stripped sweater with gray cargo pants. Sure, it matched me quite well, but I think I’d prefer a bit more color for my clothes.

            After another exhaustingly thorough shower I was dressed for bed and my fur was brushed neatly. But I wasn’t particularly tired. I did feel a nagging fatigue but not enough to instantly send me to sleep. Uncertain of what else to do, I thought over the strange music my Soul made. How did that work? What were the rules for it?

            Unable to answer these questions on my own, I did the only thing I could. I closed my eyes and I listened. This… this was me? Some strange reflection of who I am hidden in the chiming notes of… a music box? It sounded so… hopeful and innocent, but also a bit… mechanical. Hah… I could see the irony in that. Without noticing, I drifted off to sleep, my dreams not containing mysterious people though… not tonight. Tonight, I dreamt of when I was a child and realized a very important lesson.

\--Dreaming of heartbreak.—

            _Charity balls were the epitome of boring parties. Even at the tender age of six I knew this fact well. The polished floors sparkled as well dressed adults moved around, making business connections with various other people. My parents had done quite well that year, enough so that they were invited to the exclusive party for the more… prestigious leaders in society. I was under stern orders to behave and be charming to whoever talked to me. I can still remember the stiff fabric of the pale pink dress and the painfully tight braid._

_Mostly, I just stayed out of everyone’s way, because I knew by then that very few adults wanted to bother with children. Barely seen and never heard was how they usually prefer it. My parents being the ultimate example of that belief. I was sitting on a chair against the wall when it happened. A little boy my own age sat down next to me. He also looked quite uncomfortable in his little suit. Bright blue eyes squinted at me. At that moment, I felt separate from my younger self, suddenly finding my current Monster body standing in front of myself. Well, more or less. I knew that I was dreaming then, but I couldn’t stop myself from commenting._

“Don’t do it… just ignore him.” _but of course, little me didn’t that night. I was a polite child, so naturally I spoke up._

_“Hi. I’m Sasha… are you bored too?” the boy grinned cheerfully._

_“Yeah. My dad couldn’t find a sitter in time. What about you, why are you here?” I sighed when younger me smiled back._

“Trust me… well, me… you don’t want to do it.”

_“My parents couldn’t find a sitter either!” more like they didn’t want to since they knew some of the guests would bring their own kids. Easier connections._

_“Sweet, I was afraid I’d be bored all night! I’m Bryan! Wanna look around? My dad won’t mind if I’m with you!” That was the moment my younger self realized who the little boy was. The owner of the nice mansion was his father. Any time I had tried to make friends when I was little, it always fell apart quickly. My parents would insist on sleep overs and talking to their parents. They loomed over my new friends like predators and they would quickly flee. And I let them… because I knew what it was like to constantly be poised for the benefit of my parents. And my previous almost-friends were just normal kids with no connections. My parents would sink their teeth into this opportunity and never let go. So… in an act of kindness he couldn’t possibly understand at that moment, I rejected him._

_“No. I think I’d rather sit here. I think I saw a group of boys running around over there.” his eyes seemed to flicker a bit as he slumped._

_“Oh… okay… see ya, Sasha…”Bryan said softly as he walked away. We could have been great friends. Even then, I knew he was a sweet boy. Lonely, but sweet. At that moment… as I watched Bryan get rather brutally rejected by the rowdy group of boys, I realized something. **Kindness… it only gets you hurt** … A small part of me died that night. After that, any attempt at friendship was shot down. Violently if need be. But watching this all as a Monster gave me a strange advantage… I guess, once upon a time, my Soul was green… and then… and then it wasn’t anymore. It was a poisonous purple with steadfast gray borders. And that was before I turned ten… Somehow, I don’t think it got any better._

            “…Told you so…”

\--Been meaning to somehow reveal that.—

            I opened my eyes and looked around. Daylight was just starting to peak over the horizon. Without even touching my face, I knew my fur was damp. I shuffled off the bed and went to wash my fur. I spent a long moment drying my face off and then looking into the mirror. Back then, I came to the conclusion that the only way to stop hurting was to be in control at all times. Of my actions, emotions, and relationships. I did everything in my power to disappear. A living ghost. My claws clicked together over the porcelain sink. Despite everything… it’s still me, right?

            Everything about me is different now. I no longer feel the defensive drive to push people away, my parents far away from me and my new life, so does that mean that… I’m free now? What exactly am I? Down to my core, what really quantifies ‘me’? It’s not my appearance… nor is it my actions. If it is my Soul, and my Soul is basically my emotions, then maybe it’s how I feel? But that changes a lot. That can’t be right… or maybe… it is?

            Maybe, I’m whoever I decide to be? It makes… sense. Appearances can change. Actions can be nuanced… but decisions are _reactions_. Reflections caught at a single moment of what I am and what matters to me. I wanted to avoid pain, so I did. Even if my actions may have hurt other people, which isn’t what I wanted, but it prevented future pain. Which _is_ what I had wanted.

            So… if my entire human identity revolved around preventing my parents from using me and any possible friends by extension… and they are no longer a part of my life… I guess I could be whatever I want to be. Well… to an extent. I mean, I was _still_ a foxy lady. But I could build a meaningful parental relationship with Brio… make _friends_. Just… be _happy_ rather than cold and distant to everyone. For the first time since… well, ever, I felt Hope…

\--I feel clumsy as hell. Is this character development doing it for you guys? Seriously.—

            Dr. Undyne was incredibly excited. She was going to test Sasha’s Soul again to see how developed it was after hearing a report from Felix, as well as Brio, that Sasha could hear music coming from her Soul. That, and maybe get a read on the strange new jewelry she received. It was an absolute _mystery_ as to where it came from. Brio was due to come in any minute now. As guardian, Brio had a right to be present for the testing.

            She almost jumped for joy when Brio walked in the door in a nice floral dress.

            “Brio! Are you ready?” Brio nodded happily.

            “Yes. I brought more clothes, just in case she can’t leave just yet.” Dr. Undyne nodded and they both walked to the young Monster’s room. They were surprised to find Sasha sitting on the bed. Almost instantly, they could see a difference from the last time they saw Sasha. She sat up straighter than before and her ears weren’t pinned down to close to her head. They still weren’t up all the way, but it was an improvement.

            “Hey, Sasha. You ready to try again?” Dr. Undyne asked. Sasha looked up and nodded.

            “Yeah. I have a good feeling about this time. Not that the results were bad last time.” Sasha said as she scampered off the bed.

            “Well, come on.” Dr. Undyne said, waving her forward and leading the way. She noted how Sasha was much better at walking when she wasn’t partially hunched over. That was good. They reached the room rather quickly and Sasha didn’t hesitate to sit down in the chair. With practiced movements the machine was up and running. They waited with bated breath as the results printed out but Dr. Undyne was focused on the image before her.

            Sasha’s Soul was noticeably stronger. The pulse steady and she could almost hear the small chiming notes of music. It was rather cheerful. Then the paper was printed out and her attention was drawn away from the young Soul before her. What she saw brought a smile to her face.

LV: 5

EXP: 0

ATK: 25

DEF: 5

DRB: 40

HP: 7

MP: 2

            She looked over the paper and considered the matter. Finally, Brio spoke up.

            “Well… what’s the verdict, Dr. Undyne?” Brio asked nervously. She looked over at the two and smiled.

            “You’ll need to come in for a checkup once a week until I say otherwise but beside that… you can go home. I just need to look into that earring a bit and then… well, you can go.” She said, the two smiling happily at the promise of freedom, “Alright, now hold still for a moment Sasha.” Dr. Undyne leaned forward and gently touched the earring, examining the silver band and iridescent black pearl. The curious engraving of a star catching her attention as well as the strange magical signature she could feel. It felt… really old and powerful, like Queen Toriel’s but… different? But it didn’t seem harmful. Actually, it seemed to be helping Sasha’s Soul stabilize. It also seemed to hold an air of warning to it, but it didn’t feel like it was meant for Undyne… or perhaps any Monster, really. Odd…

            “Well, what do you think, Dr. Undyne?” Sasha asked gently.

            “…Huh…” that was about as much as she could say on the matter. Sasha and Brio laughed a little.

            “Yeah… I understand _that_ reaction.” Sasha said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was nice! I'm in a bit of a rush. My bro is taking me to visit my mom for a while, so i'll just be quick. I have plans dudes! It won't be pretty for some parts. Rather devastating on others, but it'll be an adventure, that's for sure. Please feel free to ask questions! It doesn't /have/ to be about the story itself.
> 
> But anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter and feel free to comment, question, or request! The music mentioned is the music box version of Butterfly that I mentioned in the last chapter. Each piece I put a link to will appear at one time or another so... take that as you will.


	12. Finally Out of the Hospital

            It took a while to finish up the paperwork but we _were_ eventually free to leave. I clutched Barry to my chest, uncertain as to why I felt like I was forgetting something. My M-Pad was put away, I was fully dressed, and Barry was in my arms so… what was I forgetting? Brio, noticing my uncertainty, paused in front of the nurse’s station.

            “What is it, Sasha?” I huffed a little.

            “I don’t… I _don’t know_.” I shifted on my feet, the cold linoleum floor only slightly noticeably through the thick pads of my toes—Oh. That’s what I was forgetting. Brio’s whiskers twitched slightly.

            “Did you forget something?” She asked kindly. I looked down at both of our feet, taking in the fact that she wore flip flops, but her feet weren’t digitigrade like mine, so maybe that’s why. I laughed a little and shook my head.

            “Sorry, Brio… I just forgot that I didn’t really need shoes anymore… or do I?” I asked uncertainly. Brio’s eyes widened as she glanced down before she chuckled.

            “Oh! Well, I certainly didn’t think about that… To be honest, most Monsters don’t need shoes like humans do. We’re all so different it would be difficult to create a large market for them. But some areas of the city _do_ have glass and other dangerous materials scattered on the ground… it would be wise to find some sort of protective material to cover your feet in those cases. Not to mention how your feet may or may not be able to handle certain temperatures. But… for now, I think you will be alright.” Brio said thoughtfully, holding out her paw so we could walk outside together. I shifted Barry to my left side and grasped her paw, appreciating how soft and warm it was.

            “…I guess that makes sense. I mean, I can barely feel how cold the floor is but I don’t want to test it out in the middle of winter… or summer for that matter.” I muttered as we approached the large glass doors. It was so bright outside, my eyes taking only a short moment to adjust.

            I was frozen for several moments, taking in my new environment. There was, quite literally, so much to take in. Brio gently steered me out of the doorway and gave me time to sort things out. For one, it was much louder outside, the hospital not located on a busy street but still surrounded by the city on all sides. I could hear footsteps and talking everywhere, my ears twitching like mad. Soft and loud, distant and incredibly close. There was just… so much. It even smelled different, the air seemed a bit… thick with heat and scents I couldn’t quite identify. My toes were rather warm standing on the smooth concrete, a direct contrast to how cold the linoleum inside was. After a few more moments, I turned toward Brio with a hesitant smile. She was just watching patiently, her own expression gentle and understanding.

            “…Are you ready?” she asked. I nodded a little.

            “Yeah… Let’s… Let’s go home.” I said, feeling rather small and uncertain in this increasingly large world I found myself in. But Brio’s smile lit up as she gently began leading the way.

            “Alright. This area’s where most of the government buildings are located. Down the street over there leads to the bank, the one on the left to the fire department, and I believe the Embassy is located further down that street.” Brio said, pointing at various roads, “There’s even a school further down Apple Street. But it’ll be a while before we enroll you there. The human education system is a bit different than what we’re used to, so I’m not sure what level you’d be at for most of your classes.” We passed by quite a few people, each Monster different than anything I’ve ever seen. Most looked like animals, but some were almost like a collage of different objects or possibly chimeras. The biggest thing I noticed though, was that everyone seemed to be smiling and quite friendly. Though several seemed rather shocked when they passed us by, sending me oddly concerned looks before moving on.

            “…How far away do you live, Brio? And does no one drive?” I asked curiously, noticing how empty the actual streets were. Brio laughed a little.

            “Well, I actually live just a bit farther into the business district, about thirty minutes away by foot. And to be honest, very few Monsters actually drive. We’re so used to walking that most don’t even bother getting a license. Some do though, which is why no one walks on the street. Sans and Papyrus drive, actually. A very nice car from what I’ve been told. It was their dream in the underground to have a car of their own and drive it.” Brio said, just as a small red car drove by. I’m not sure, but I think there was a goopy green slime Monster behind the wheel. Cleaning must be a nightmare for them…

            “Well, that’s not a bad walk. Summer must suck for you though…” I said before it hit me, “And… me too.” Brio laughed and nodded her head.

            “Yes, summer is less than ideal for most of us, thankfully, it’s almost over.” Brio said. I laughed along with her and enjoyed the warm atmosphere and the slightly less than ideal heat of the city. I’ll probably never leave the house… At least I haven’t tripped yet, but it would be a while before I was ready to start running around. Makes me wonder how fast I could go…

            I was starting to recognize the street when I noticed them. Sans and Papyrus waiting outside what I assume to be Brio’s store. Sans was hopping from one foot to the other in excitement while Papyrus just casually leaned against the doorframe with a cigarette clutched between his teeth. I wonder if he actually gets anything out of smoking or if it was just for appearances. I knew the moment that Sans spotted us, his whole body shaking as he seemed to vibrate in excitement.

            “BRIO! SASHA!” Sans shouted, the noise piercing my skull. Sans seemed to notice my difficulty and grimaced, the look seeming to be unnatural on his face as opposed to the bright smile he usually wore, “Oh! I’m so sorry, Sasha! I, the Magnificent Sans, have failed to take your sensitive hearing into account! Could you possibly forgive me?!” Sans cried out with teary eyes. I smiled reassuringly and nodded.

            “Only if I can get a magnificent hug?” I asked, uncertain if that was pushing a line. But Sans just smiled brightly and wrapped his arms around me, swinging me in a circle before setting me down.

            “Mweh! You have been given a magnificent hug by yours truly! Tell me, Sasha, how long are you free of the hospital?” I wasn’t sure exactly how long I was free, but I was mostly focused on how much taller Sans was than me. I was basically at waist height for him, it was a little depressing being so short again. Maybe I was slouching? Even just a little bit? I glanced down at my feet in uncertainty.

            “Well, she only has to go in for weekly check-ups now. As long as she doesn’t suddenly get sick, I imagine she’ll be completely free of the hospital eventually.” Brio said helpfully, “Was there something you two wanted?” Papyrus chuckled as Sans skipped happily.

            “We actually wished to see if you needed any help, Brio. Didn’t know that Sasha was going to be out yet… speaking of, is there anything you need, Brio?” Papyrus asked. Brio shook her head.

            “No, I believe I have everything I need so far, but I’d appreciate it if you two were to help assess where Sasha’s education is. Not tonight, but some other time.” Brio asked. She was probably wondering how to explain my current education if I was supposed to be so ‘new’. I’d have to ask Alphys if it was okay to tell them. They seemed really close to Brio and I didn’t want to burden her with lying to her friends. Sans looked like he had received the grandest challenge of his lifetime.

            “Mweh! We would be honored, wouldn’t we Papyrus?” Sans asked the taller skeleton, who hummed what sounded like a positive response.

            “Sure thing… Well, we promised dad we’d be home soon, so I guess we’ll see you later, Brio. Sasha.” Papyrus drawled, nodding to each of us in a farewell.

            “Goodbye, Brio and Sasha!” Sans declared, dashing after his surprisingly fast brother. Maybe it was because he had such long legs that the lazy strides moved so fast? I waved after them and yawned widely, Brio chuckling behind me.

            “Well, I suppose you will still tire easily for a while longer, huh Sasha? Come on in, and I’ll show you your room.” Brio said as she unlocked the door and lead me through the cool interior. I appreciated the air conditioning as she lead me through the modest storefront and up a flight of stairs between the kitchen area and the store. The upstairs was a rather open living room with four doors, two of which were open revealing a white tile bathroom and a tidy bedroom decorated in soft blues and whites. Brio opened the second door to the right and revealed a different bedroom. This one was decorated in black and purple with a luminescent blue. The floor was made of a very dark wood and the walls and ceiling painted dark purple with bright speckled stars all over. The bed was covered in a black comforter with bright blue flowers printed all over and similarly colored pillows. Normally, I’d think that such dark colors would make a room depressing, but here? It seemed… wistful and contemplative… I liked it.

            “I really like it, Brio.” I said, receiving a bright smile in return.

            “Well, it’s actually modeled after the Waterfall area from the underground. I’m glad we’re free but… sometimes… I miss it, you know?” I didn’t fully understand but I nodded anyway. Brio cleared her throat, “Anyway, feel free to nap up here whenever you get tired, just make sure to tell me beforehand. I’m going to run the store for the rest of the evening and wake you up for dinner, alright?” She asked. I nodded and shuffled into the room, turning on the lights after she left and closing the door almost all the way. The room was rather sparse, lacking any personal details, but I imagine that would change over time. I set the M-Pad on the bedside table and turned on the lamp, a soft blue light casting over my surroundings after I turned off the normal lights. Waterfall must have been so beautiful… I burrowed under the blankets and fell asleep, clutching Barry as I sleepily tried to imagine what the underground must have looked like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, hey! Finally updated! I was at my mom's place since Tuesday, so that's why this was delayed for so long. But hey, i'm really surprised at how long this is so far, I mean, over fifty pages in word and Sasha JUST left the hospital. I mean... wow, am I right? But anyway, i'm thinking of taking some requests now that Sasha is free to interact with a larger environment, so if you're just dying to see something happen, go on ahead and request. There are about nine major plot points I have planned to hit up and we literally just hit the first one, so there's plenty of time. If you want a small peak at what it may have looked like if Sasha was... well, not physically herself (as in, a different creature or animal) then ask ahead. It would be a nice little bit to write. Like, if she was a literal kit (as in, a small fox rather than close to her human size). Because that would affect her attitude from now on since she has such freedom to be a different person if she wishes.
> 
> Anyway, as always, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and feel free to comment or request! Or point out typos and shit, cause I can't always be on top of that, though i'm usually pretty good about that...


	13. Brewing Trouble and Baking Puns...

            The human agents sent to Sasha’s hometown were unsure as to what they’d find at first. The circumstances behind Sasha’s disappearance were fuzzy at best, but the implications were… unpleasant. At first, they thought the search was a bust. Everyone they asked had mostly the same thing to say. Gentle and kind words that appear at every funeral, regardless of the person. Then, they started finding people that actually _knew_ Sasha.

            In particular, there were three people that had anything of note to say. Her teacher in early grade school, the elderly neighbor, and a young man by the name of Bryan McGuile. It painted a rather… unpleasant picture. One that leads a lot more credence to the theory that Sasha’s previous parents didn’t lose their child… but sold her. Not to mention a psychological state that may hinder her recovery as a Monster, and therefore much more sensitive to emotional damage. They needed to report their findings immediately.

\--A pawn may become a queen in the right circumstances, but any chess player knows that their chief use is being sacrificed for greater gain.—

            Brio felt rather content working in her store knowing that Sasha was settling in nicely. The past three days had been quite nice. Sasha was… hesitant and worked better when she knew what needed to be done. At least once a night Brio would check on Sasha. Her sleep was mostly undisturbed and quite restful, thankfully. As of yet, there hasn’t been any sudden resurfacing of memories. Not from what Brio could tell, at least, but Sasha did ask Captain Alphys if it was alright to tell Sans and Papyrus the truth. She received a hearty laugh for her hesitant question. Brio wasn’t surprised that Captain Alphys was perfectly fine with Sans and Papyrus to know the truth, so long as they understood that it was to be kept a secret.

            “So… exactly how much cinnamon do I use again?” Brio jolted from her thoughts and looked over at Sasha. Her ears were almost parallel with the floor as she squinted at the measuring cup. She looked absolutely precious standing on the stepping stool and in soft caramel and cinnamon red sweater, special gloves keeping her paws from shedding into the food and her claws from scratching the utensils. She needed to find her nail file soon, before Sasha accidentally hurt someone with her claws.

            “For the amount we’re making, just a cup and a half.” Brio said, “It’s a pretty big batch, but they keep quite well. Not to mention how popular they are.”  The door jingled cheerfully as someone entered the shop.

            “Greetings, are you in Brio?” Toriel’s voice called from the front. Brio swiftly cleaned her paws and moved out of the kitchen.

            “Just add that, Sasha, and join me in the front. It’ll be fine to leave them be for a while.” Brio said before turning to the Queen, “Toriel, what brings you in here? Oh, and Chara as well.” Brio smiled down at Chara. Despite the difficulty between Asgore and Toriel, they both shared custody of Chara. Brio guessed that today was a bonding day for Chara and Toriel.

            “I wished to introduce Chara to Sasha… and perhaps grab some Cinna-Bunnies as well.” Toriel said with a small smile, “How has she been, by the way?”

            “Oh, she’s adjusting quite well. This Sunday I plan on taking her shopping for more personal items, perhaps invite Sans and Papyrus. As well as their father, if he’s available.” Brio said as Sasha walked in. She hadn’t quite mastered walking yet, her movements still uncertain every once in a while, but she hasn’t tripped but once since she got out of the hospital.

            “Oh, hello Mrs. Toriel… and human child.” Sasha said uncertainly. Brio chuckled.

            “Hello, Sasha. This is Chara, human child that broke the barrier a few months ago. Chara, this is Sasha, the one I told you about before.” Toriel said.

\--Finally!—

            I wasn’t sure what to think. Did this small kid really break the barrier? Not that I could talk much, they had a good few inches on me. But it still sounds rather unbelievable… Not that I think Mrs. Toriel would lie to me. In fact, Chara was actually a rather cute kid. Their eyes a bright ruby red and a constant flush on their cheeks. Their honey brown hair styled in a perfect bob.

            “Well, hello then, Chara. It’s nice to meet you.” I said. Chara actually looked almost like a little doll next to the Queen. Chara smiled softly.

            “Greetings… it is nice to meet you as well.” Chara said. I felt a mild itch on around the base of my earring.

            “Oh, that reminds me, did Captain Alphys or Dr. Undyne tell you about… this?” I asked, reaching up to gently run my paw over the dark pearl. Mrs. Toriel looked confused for a moment.

            “Oh, yes, I do recall hearing something about it. May I take a closer look, Sasha?” I nodded and moved closer, Mrs. Toriel’s paws gently investigating the odd accessory for several moments, “… You received this in a dream, did you not?” I nodded, “It has been so long… I think I can remember this design and the pearl itself is unmistakable. Black Akoya pearl etched with a star. Without a doubt, this is a token from a Kitsune, a very high ranking one at that.” Mrs. Toriel moved back.

            “Kitsune? Wait, you mean the Japanese fox demon?” I asked, the name rather familiar to me. Mrs. Toriel laughed.

            “Well, in essence, yes. Though they weren’t really demons. Just unusually strong Monsters with their own inner workings. They, along with others, declared themselves a third party in the war that Monsters lost long ago… I am rather surprised that any remain, they certainly weren’t sealed underground with the rest of us.” Mrs. Toriel said, “Now that I think about it, you do resemble the Kitsune people… all you need is another tail.” Mrs. Toriel mused.

_…kit enough_

How do you grow more tails? If… that’s even what she was talking about.

            “Huh… Well… Hey, Brio, is it cool if Chara helps us make Cinna-Bunnies? You know… while you two talk or whatever?” I asked. Brio laughed and looked at Mrs. Toriel, who nodded.

            “If Chara does not mind.”

            “And the recipe is written in the book on the counter if you need help.” Brio said helpfully.

            “Alrighty then, wanna help, Chara?” Chara nodded, “Then come on. If I remember correctly, we have to knead the dough next.” I said, Chara following excitedly, their eyes shining brightly.

            I’m not going to lie… it was a rather messy affair, making Cinna-Bunnies with Chara. They were really polite, but with a mischievous streak a mile wide. By the end of it, we were both covered in dough.

            “How _knead_ -lessly messy.” Chara muttered, batting away at their cheeks that were covered in flour and cinnamon. I couldn’t hold back the snort of laughter.

            “D-Did you _really_ just say that? _Dough_ -n’t you have any shame?” I jeered back, Chara’s smile growing wide as they laughed a little louder. This… this was fun… was this what I was missing all those years?

\--What are they talking about anyway?—

            Brio and Toriel paused in amusement as another shriek of laughter echoed from the kitchen.

            “They seem to be having fun…” Toriel commented lightly.

            “Yes, they do.” Brio said, “But was there… something else you came here for?” Toriel sighed.

            “I’m afraid so… I have received some reports from human agents that were sent to investigate the circumstances of Sasha’s disappearance.” Toriel said gravely.

            “Oh… I assume it wasn’t anything good?” Toriel shook her head.

            “No. If they preliminary investigation has any truth, I fear for Sasha’s well-being. She fares well so far… but I’m afraid her human life wasn’t conductive to a healthy emotional or psychological health. It is also strongly suspected that her previous guardians had a hand in her disappearance.” Toriel said, causing Brio to gasp.

            “But she’s healing so well! A Monster’s physical health is directly connected to their mental and emotional health!” Brio proclaimed softly, trying to not draw the attention of the children in the kitchen.

            “I know… it may have something to do with her stats. More specifically, her DRB. Dr. Undyne has determined that it stands for Durability. The process that made her a Monster didn’t _completely_ get rid of the human tissue… and it is well known that humans can weather a lot more emotional and psychological damage than the average Monster. I wished to warn you ahead of time, in case something comes up. The good news is that she’s also a lot stronger to physical attacks because of her DRB. It is unlikely that a single blow from a human will…” Brio wringed her paws.

            “I see… that is good… and bad… I did notice some emotional distance, but assumed it was because of the change…” Brio said.

            “Sasha… she still feel quite new… and it is strange that she received that token… please, keep an eye on her. I fear that this peace will not last long.” Toriel said gravely to Brio, who looked back at the kitchen with trepidation. As a stark contrast to Toriel’s voice, the kitchen rang with laughter and what sounded like a rapid exchange of puns.

            “W-What do you mean?” Toriel shook her head.

            “I hope it is just my old age getting to me… but in the time we have been free I have felt… a stirring in the air. Something is brewing, and it may have everything to do with Sasha’s condition.” Toriel said heavily before sighing as the tension left the room, “But enough about that… perhaps we should check in with the children and make sure the mess is manageable?” Brio smiled at the Queen and nodded. Both of them headed into the kitchen and was rather surprised that the two children were cleaning the counters off, Cinna-Bunnies in the oven.

            “ _Wipe_ that smile off your face, Chara. Most of this is your fault!” Sasha said from on an extra stepping stool, carefully running a wet rag over the counter. Chara laughed.

            “ _Water_ you talking about? Oh! _Flour_ you, mom?” Chara asked upon noticing Toriel and Brio enter the kitchen. Toriel laughed and embraced her lightly flour-dusted child.

            “I’m _soup_ -er!” Toriel replied with a giggle as Sasha huffed.

            “The competition is stiff in here! I _knead_ to step it up a bit!” She declared hotly, causing Brio to snort with laughter.

\--Elsewhere…--

            Forest litter cracked under the heavy weight of the ravenous creature as it lumbered around, searching for more prey. Lately, it had been eating quite well… so much, in fact, that it allowed a weak prey to escape. But now… now it was hungry again… always hungry for _flesh_. The nearby wildlife fled at the sudden drop in temperature as fog rolled through the trees. The Wendigo hunts once more…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terrible... I admit it. My procrastination is too PRO! But the new chapter is here now, so that's what... counts? I guess? School starts up soon, so I might update more regularly in order to avoid homework. Who knows?
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to leave a comment or request, it fuels my drive to write! Oh, and please do hand out some constructive criticism. I want to write... well, not fanfiction one day, and to do that, I need to know what I A) Can currently pull off and B) What I /cannot/ currently pull off. So if you have any issue with my execution or character portrayal, now would be an excellent time to speak up. Thank you for sticking it out with me so far!


	14. Things get heated.

            _I was petrified. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t feel. My mind was torn between my sense deprived body and the odd floating perspective from above. What I could see, but not feel in any sense, was a scene out of a horror movie._

_I was dead, my body stiff and pale from lack of blood flow… but I wasn’t the only one. In the shallow pit alongside me, as well as over and beneath me, were at least half a dozen more bodies. Each one dressed in the same dull scrubs and bald, though most were in worse condition. At least three that I could see were missing a limb and four looked like they had tried to claw their skin apart before they died. I didn’t know where I was, but the forest seemed thick with foliage and the sound of various animals going about their business._

_I felt… pissed, for some reason. Blurry memories flickered by me. I was filled with the knowledge that I was imprisoned somewhere before this. Somewhere the people responsible could treat human beings like lab rats and dump their bodies without consequences. And during that time, all I wanted was to be free. But not even death could free me from what they did. I could suddenly feel it, fire coursing through me as I convulsed. I was alive again._

_The air was hot despite the cold bodies surrounding me. My body couldn’t move, but I could feel motion sink through my frozen muscles and locked bones like a slow heartbeat. Everything hurt and all I wanted was to be free… nothing could stop me from that, not even death it seems. Slowly, I regained motion and began to crawl out of the shallow pit, dragging myself over dead bodies and through the dirt. I was almost free when I suddenly noticed it. All the animals were silent and despite my cold body, I felt a chill in the air. Everything inside me screamed that I should be running. That I should be hiding. Something was coming._

_Frantically, I moved faster, begging my awkward and numb limbs to recover before it was too late. My bare feet had just cleared the heavy bushed when I heard it. Heavy footsteps and growling, the air turning frigid as a mist began to move over the ground, seeping around me like poison. Maneuvering around so I could see what approached the shallow grave I started to crawl backwards, willing myself to move with as little noise as possible. That was when I saw it._

_It was horrifying. A massive bipedal creature with broken antlers on top of its skeletal head. It was covered in mottled and rotting fur and looked like it was starving, each bone clear and distinct, a few breaking out of the blackened skin like paper. It moved like its entire body was in pain, hunched over and sniffing the ground. I continued to move backwards as it leaned over the bodies and paused. Everything in me froze as its jaws creaked open, revealing a nightmare of jagged teeth. And then it shot forward and tore into the bodies, causing my entire body to jolt in fear_.

            My limbs flailed from out of my blankets as I collided with the floor, my chest heaving and absolute panic. For several long moments I could still hear the sound of tearing meat and snapping bones until it faded into the silence. I gasped for breath and curled in on myself, fighting the urge to vomit. The door softly creaked open as Brio shuffled in.

            “Sasha? Are you alright?” Brio asked softly, ducking her head into the room before gasping, “Sweetie, what happened?” she rushed over and helped me sit up.

            “B-B-Brio!” my head felt like it was about to explode as I buried my face into her shoulder and wept, “I died! I was dead!” Brio’s paws ran over my back and over my head as she gently crooned.

            “It was just a bad dream, Sasha. You’re alright…” I shook my head.

            “N-No! I _l-l-literally_ died, Brio! I _remember_ crawling out of a grave with… with _other people_ in it! An-an-and then--!” Brio shushed me gently.

            “Sasha! It’s alright, now look at me!” I looked up at her and sniffled, “You need to calm down. I’ll call Captain Alphys in the morning, but for now, you need to take deep breaths. You are here. Alive. Whatever you remember, has already occurred, and now you are safe. With me. Come one, let’s get back into bed, there you go.” Brio helped me back into the bed and tucked the blankets around me, making sure Barry was in my arms.

            “Brio… there was something else there. It… ate them, Brio. Whatever it was… it wasn’t a human… and it wasn’t a Monster…” I whispered hoarsely. Brio looked at me with wide eyes.

            “…Would you like me to sleep with you for tonight, Sasha?” I paused for a moment before nodding.

            “I think I’d like that…” I whispered, scooting backwards to make room for her. Brio smiled softly and climbed in, gently curling around me. I felt calm as a gentle trilling tune echoed from Brio’s chest. She was right… I was safe, for now… but not free… not quite yet.

\--All Kitsune are known for their power, mischief, and desire for freedom, as well as a strong family ties.—

            _Soft laughter echoed around me, the air hazy with fog. The fog parted to reveal My Lady. Many tails flickered around her elegant figure as she smiled softly._

_“Now you remember, don’t you, kit? The thirst for freedom that drives all our people… as well as part of the trigger for your transformation. You, like all of our brethren, were not always like this. We lived our lives as humans… and then we died. But that is only part of the tale.” My Lady sighed and flicked open a fan, “As per tradition, you have completed the task I have given you… even if it was only half of what you needed to remember, but the rest will come in time. Your reward is another tail. My status grants me the unique opportunity to gift other Kitsune with a tail for completing tasks or proving themselves with impressive feats. Otherwise you’d have to train a hundred years in attempting to access the Kitsune arts.” I frowned a little._

_“Thank you, My Lady… but… well, what exactly is it for? An extra tail I mean. Just… a status thing or…?”I asked uncertainly. She laughed huskily._

_“A little bit of a status indicator, but with two tails you can now begin using Kitsune powers. You will have to train and practice with them, of course. Usually, it takes a hundred years of solid practice to gain a tail, and therefore more power, but perhaps you can manage it in less, considering your… special circumstances. Not to mention the now steady presence of magic running through you. Monster magic at that.” I paused at that._

_“Monster magic? You say that as though—“_

_“Wendigo.” She interrupted me, “The creature you saw in your memory was a Wendigo. Foul creature without morals or thoughts for anything besides its own hunger. It prefers to feast on what it once was. Human. They can also be drawn to the location of anyone who repeats their name three times in a row and only once if it is in the colder months. If you see one, I’d recommend running. A single bite to a human can cause an excruciating transformation into more of its ilk… though you are no longer a human, there are still lingering remains of your humanity. I would not recommend finding out what would happen if you_ were _bitten.”_

_“Wait, what was that part about—“_

_“Train well, kit, and grow stronger… you may need that strength in the future. And say hello to Queen Dreemurr for me.” The fog swirled around and obscured my vision once more as a burst of heat traveled down my spine._

\--Hey, now Sasha’s off of foxy-probation!—

            Waking up was a slow and rather pleasant experience. I don’t recall feeling so warm and comfortable before. I slowly and reluctantly opened my eyes. Brio really did sleep all night with me… I huffed and smiled a little. She’s a good mom…

            “Hey… Brio. Brio, wake up.” I whispered softly, laughing a little as her nose twitched. I sat up a little more and threw the covers off of us, causing Brio to flinch at the chill air, “Brio, Its morning and you should probably wake u—OH HOLY HELL!” I shouted as something caught the corner of my eye. It was my tail flopped over my hip… or rather, _one_ of my tails. Brio shot up out of bed.

            “WHA-! What! What happened?!” Brio asked before following my line of sight, “S-Sasha! Your tail! You have two of them now?!”

            “A-Apparently My Lady wasn’t kidding when she said I was getting another one… c-can we just uh… talk about it later? When Captain Alphys gets here?” Brio rubbed a paw over her face and nodded.

            “Yeah, sure. I’ll make breakfast while _you_ clean up. Don’t forget to brush.” I groaned and Brio laughed at me as we started getting ready for the day. I looked down, trying to discern if there was anything different about my new tail. It looked almost identical, except the black stripe was just slightly dispersed with gray. I wonder what magic I had access to now, and why My Lady dodged the question about Monster and Kitsune magic… I guess I’ll find out eventually.

\--Since you asked…--

            Mrs. Gladstone had lived across from the Moore’s for several years. Since before their daughter, Sasha, was born in fact. Having lived her younger years as a very successful lawyer, she knew a desperate ladder-climber when she saw one. And Mr. and Mrs. Moore were definitely that. Disillusioned from their grand dreams of high society life that they had as children, the Moore’s were constantly looking for that golden opportunity that they missed out on because of a young child they couldn’t leave at home for too long. It was rather heart breaking what happened. She told the sprightly young agent that came by all about it.

            It must have been difficult trying to measure up to a high standard only for little Sasha to realize she’d never reach it. Hopefully she was in a better place now.

            Ms. Layton usually could look forward to an energetic class every year of nine to ten year olds. But she could recall one year, maybe seven or so years ago, watching a very promising student slip on a test and after that… completely average work. She always suspected stress at home, Moore was ten, what else could it be? She also told the odd government agent that showed up asking about Sasha Moore. She hoped that everything turned out alright.

            Now, Bryan McGuile had first met Sasha Moore at a party his father was throwing when he was a child. He wasn’t used to being rejected, so when, not only did a cute girl reject his friendship, but also a group of boys around his age. He… really couldn’t let it go. Which lead to him… sort of stalking her for a few weeks where he learned that Sasha was very aggressive in rejecting her fellow peers. After that, he more or less accepted the situation… okay, maybe he… _looked_ every once in a while. They went to the same school! He also discovered how unpleasant her parents were. Well, it’s not that he met them in person, but gossip travels fast. He didn’t believe for a single moment that Sasha just disappeared and died somewhere, never to be seen again. Sasha Moore tried incredibly hard to do absolutely nothing to stand out, and _succeeded_ for the most part. The likelihood of her getting into trouble was almost zero. But the odds of her shitty parents getting rid of her since she wasn’t playing along to their high expectations was almost guaranteed. And that’s _exactly_ what he told the odd agents that came through town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another plot point down! I am so... tired. I'm going to try and reset my sleep schedule before school starts.
> 
> If you guys have any comments, requests, or recommendations, please have at it. Oh, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter~!


	15. We Are, We Are, Altogether~!

            As it turns out, Captain Alphys was training Sans today and decided to force _both_ skeleton brothers to come over. I guess this was her way of making sure the two were let in on the big ‘secret’ carefully. Though Brio did mention how, despite not having much use anymore, the Royal Guard was still very much active and Sans wanted to be a part of that. I was a little skeptical on how well he’d be able to handle such… dark subject matter with his bright personality, but Captain Alphys knew him better than I did.

            Brio and I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast, mostly because I couldn’t handle the thought of meat just yet after remembering being dead and… the Wendigo. Unbidden, a chill ran up my spine as the door opened.

            “BRIO! Oops! I mean, Brio! We are here!” Sans loud voice boomed through the store and into the kitchen, “Captain Alphys suggested we come here for a special training exercise! I’m not sure what that would be though…” Sans said as he found his way into the kitchen where the cinnamon rolls were just being set out to cool. Papyrus and Captain Alphys walked in behind him, each appearing exactly like they did last time. Though Papyrus seemed quite tired.

            “Ha! Brio called about some new information! As a Royal Guardsman, you need to be able to listen to information to be better prepared for any situation…” Captain Alphys looked at me sheepishly for a moment, “As long as it’s alright with the informant, of course…” I wringed my paws a little and nodded, my tails twitching slightly. Papyrus seemed to notice first but didn’t manage to say anything before Sans did.

            “Sasha! You have _two_ tails now! That is amazing, how did it happen? You still feel so _new_!” Sans whispered in amazement. I laughed a little.

            “You have quite a…” Papyrus started, Sans’ eye lights going wide in horror.

            “Papyrus! Don’t!”

            “ _Tail_ to _tale_ , don’t you?” Papyrus finished gleefully. I snickered a little.

            “Y-Yeah… you can say that. W-Why don’t we eat first though? It’s not a particularly pleasant _tail_.” I said, looking to Brio for confirmation. She nodded and brushed her paw through the fur between my ears.

            “Yes, that would probably be best… I think you’re growing hair here, Sasha. Hmm… might need a haircut depending on how quickly it grows.” Brio noted idly as she grabbed a set of plates and silverware, “Would you mind getting the cups so our guest can get something to drink, Sasha.” I nodded and grabbed the cups.

            “We’re eating in the living room, right?” Brio nodded, “Okay, so do you have any requests? Brio? Sans? Papyrus? Captain Alphys?” I asked, carefully pulling the stepping stool over with my foot and setting the cups on the counter so I could open the fridge. Sans practically leapt to my side.

            “Allow me to help, Sasha! I know what my brother likes to drink for breakfast!” Sans pauses for a moment to whisper conspiratorially to me, “It’s _milk_!” He grabs the jug and pours some into two cups before glancing at me, “Do you drink milk too, Sasha? It’s good for growing Monsters!” I laughed a little and nodded.

            “Go on ahead and pour us milk too, Sasha.” Brio chimed helpfully from next to Captain Alphys. I nodded and poured milk into the last two cups before handing the jug to Sans so he could put it away. Armed with a plate of cinnamon rolls and milk each, we went upstairs to sit around the living room table on the couch and extra chairs. There was an odd moment of having to adjust to sitting differently to accommodate an extra tail, _again_ , but the cinnamon rolls were well worth it.

            “So, Sasha, are you enjoying your freedom?” Papyrus asked. I looked up from my sticky bite of roll and nodded, swallowing down the delicious treat.

            “Yeah, the other day Chara came over with Mrs. Dreemurr. We baked Cinna-Bunnies and it was great!” I said before polishing off the last bite of my food and drinking my milk. I was glad that my facial structure wasn’t so set that I had to worry about spilling my drink everywhere like a normal fox would if they tried to drink anything like a human. I almost didn’t notice the odd sensation of my food disappearing as it went down my throat. I looked around to see if anyone else was done, “Brio, would you like me to take dishes downstairs?” Brio finished her cinnamon roll and nodded.

            “Yes please. Don’t forget to wash your paws, Sasha. It takes a bit more practice to eat without leaving a mess.” I groaned and gathered up the plates and empty cups.

            “Bah humbug!” I declared, walking down the stairs to wash up and put the dishes in the sink, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in my chest.

\--Bone bros, perhaps?”—

            Sans was incredibly excited to be helping Captain Alphys with an investigation of some kind, though he was unsure what Brio and Sasha had to do with it. And Sasha, extra tail and all, returned to the room, looking particularly nervous. She glanced at his brother and him a few times before sitting back down.

            “So, would you like for me to explain the first part before you tell me what you remember?” Captain Alphys asked. Sasha fidgeted in her seat for a moment, her tails swinging into her lap as she picked at the edges of her sleeves.

            “Uhm… no. I think I can do this.” She said, running her claws over her tails. Clearly, she was nervous about them learning whatever it was.

            “Whatever it is, Sasha, you can tell us! Isn’t that right, Pappy?” Sans asked, hoping to reassure her. Papyrus nodded.

            “Yeah, we got your back.” He said, surprising Sans on how he didn’t even make a pun. Now that Sans was looking, Papyrus was also paying a lot more attention than before. His brother was still slumped in his seat but his gaze was sharper somehow. Sasha took a deep breath and began.

            Sans was horrified to hear about the real reason she was in the hospital, how Brio found her, and how she changed her species. But, as he suspected, that wasn’t all.

            “…And last night, I remembered. I didn’t just escape from a facility. I died. I was dead. And so were at least six other people. Just dumped us in a hole in the ground.” Sans jumped out of his seat.

            “That’s horrible! But! If… you were dead, how are you alive?” He asked, wondering if it was proper protocol to hug someone at a time like this.

            “I’m not sure. I remember being dead. Not being able to move… and then my heart started again. The last thing I remember was crawling out of the pit and then… _it_ came. My Lady told me what it was. You can’t say its name once in winter or it will know where you are. Three times any other time of the year. It…” Sasha ran her paws over her face, “It ate them. Hunger is the only thing it knows and it prefers… human flesh.” Sans felt a chill run down his entire body. Even Papyrus and Captain Alphys looked unsettled.

            “A-A Monster?” she shook her head.

            “No… The way My Lady talked about it made it sound like it was something entirely different from a Monster. Like… a Wendigo is a species rather than a subspecies. And that Kitsunes aren’t Monster’s either. Or at least, their magic was different. Which would be weird unless they were different somehow... Sorry not relevant.” She shook her head.

            “Oh wowzers… S-Sasha…” Sans couldn’t take it anymore. He launched himself at Sasha and embraced her, “Iamsosorryyouhadtoexperincethat,itmusthavebeenhorrible!Pleaseletmehugyouforawhile!” he shouted, clutching Sasha close. She hesitated for a moment, as though she was uncertain, but quickly returned the embrace.

            “…Thanks Sans…” She whispered into his cervical vertebra and clavicle.

            “Is this why you wanted help with her education, Brio?” Papyrus asked quietly behind him.

            “Yes. As a human, she had an education, but we’re not sure how it compares to a Monster education. We can talk about it later. I was wondering if you two wouldn’t mind going shopping with us this Sunday. Possibly bring your father. She needs clothes and supplies, but not all of it can be found in the Monster district. I’m a little worried about taking her into a human mall alone.” Brio said nervously. Sans withdrew from the embrace and beamed at Sasha.

            “Don’t worry, Sasha! The Magnificent Sans will help you every step of the way! Papyrus, can we go Sunday, please?” He asked his brother. Papyrus sighed.

            “Sure. I think pops would love to meet Sasha… speaking of, didn’t you mention something about… magic? And Kitsunes?” Sasha looked surprised for a moment.

            “Oh, right, My Lady mentioned that I’d have access to Kitsune powers now that I have two tails. I’m not sure what powers they are, but it definitely sounded different from just Monster magic.” She said. Captain Alphys stood up.

            “Well, I’d be glad to help you train… when you’re cleared for training by my bae, of course. And I’m sure Sans would love to help too! Thanks for telling me about… yeah. I’ll make sure to create a file for the… creature. Almost anyone would probably think it was a real Monster, and if it is as bad as you say… I don’t think the repercussions for us would be good. Just remember, you’re safe here, Sasha. We’ve got your back.” She said firmly. Sans almost leapt into the air in excitement.

            “Absolutely, Sasha! Anything you need, just tell us! You’re family!” He declared, a mix of feelings churning in his Soul at Sasha’s reaction. He could practically feel the shock, soft yearning, and hope coming from Sasha. It was a… disheartening reaction to feel from such a young Soul and also didn’t bode well for her previous family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so incredibly distracted writing this, especially at the end. For various reasons, mostly because my house is particularly broke for this month, due to the beginning of school and all. But hey, a chapter is a chapter! And I wanted to write it, but if you guys do notice a... drop in quality for this chapter, I totally get it.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, we have some nice fluff coming up soon. Maybe some more bonding time with Brio and Sasha, so if you guys have any requests or things you'd like to see, go ahead and speak up! I could seriously use some inspiration for bonding things. My head is a little... fuzzy right now. So yeah, comment, request, or recommend!


	16. NiceBurgs and a /Small/ Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> READ THIS, HOLY SHIT! NOT JOKING! YOU'LL BE CONFUSED OTHERWISE!
> 
> So, since about chapter four, I've been wishing I had just stuck with the logical choice of starting Sasha off as a small Monster and today, I went back and fixed it. As well as adjusting the puberty talk, since she doesn't have boobs, just somewhat suggestive fluff. So, if you've been reading up until this point, you'll be confused, /unless/ you keep in mind that she's now quite a bit shorter. Two foot eight, to be specific. That's about half her original height. And i'm pretty sure I've gotten every part that refers to her height before now as any taller than that. There's no other change, so you don't /have/ to go back and reread everything, just keep in mind she's really short now. That's it. You can go read the rest now.

            Since it was Wednesday, we still had a few days before the shopping trip with Sans, Papyrus, and their dad. Sans called yesterday after he went home to tell us that they could make it on Sunday. So, in the meantime, I’ve been attempting to help Brio run her store. It was a bit of a challenge with my small height, but I could wipe the counters and clean the windows with the stepping stool as help. Sweeping, not that the store front needed it, was much more difficult since the length was awkward to handle at first. But Brio seemed to enjoy watching me run around, attempting to find something, _anything_ , to do. She chuckled and leaned over the counter.

            “My, you have quite a bit of energy. If you want, you can just go watch videos on the M-Pad upstairs, sweetie. My store may be the go-to for Cinna-Bunnies, but that doesn’t mean I get a whole lot of traffic.” Brio said, leaning back on the stool behind the register. I huffed.

            “It doesn’t feel right goofing off and being useless…” I muttered, feeling a deep itch to do something _right_ for once and not be a waste of space for my guardian. I almost missed the odd twitch of Brio’s whiskers.

            “You’re a kid, Sasha. No _reasonable_ person expects you to be making huge, sweeping waves across the world. Go on ahead and just… enjoy being young again.” Brio shifted in her seat again and reached under the counter, “Why don’t you take this gold, and get us both an NiceBurg. The store is just down the street with a soft pink store front. Can’t miss it.” she pulled out a small sack of coins and handed it to me.

**You received 50 G!**

            “Uh… you guys use gold as currency?” I gave Brio a questioning look. She paused for a moment before laughing.

            “Oh, well, yes, actually. We do. We used to live underground, and gold was the easiest metal to mix with magic to make into a coin. That, and when we were sealed, gold was still used as currency. It was quite pricey for the old economy, but we didn’t have forges to make other coins for a while. When we finally did… there wasn’t much of a point. Our economy didn’t need any other currency and our population size wasn’t so large that we could keep using it. Of course, the coins are made with the help of magic, so they are more like… golden dollars than soft gold coins. Very firm. Anyway, go on ahead and head down the street. Get a feel of the neighborhood, but be back before an hour passes, alright?” Brio said. I nodded.

            “Alright… I guess you consider it safe enough because we’re in the Monster district?” I asked. Brio nodded.

            “Yep. And it’s the middle of the day, otherwise, you’d be stuck here.” Brio informed me cheekily. I sighed and straightened out my soft red and black stripped sweater.

            “Alright. I’ll be back… do I go left or right?” I asked. Brio pointed right and I nodded, walking out of the door and walking down the street. The street we lived on wasn’t terribly busy, only a handful of Monsters on either side, but I could already see the soft pink awning that Brio must have been referring to. I walked past a large and furry Dalmatian looking Monster and waved, the tall dog Monster smiling down at me as they passed by before doing a double take.

            “Woah, kid, where’s your folks?” they asked, their voice a little gruff and matched the southern light blue button up and jeans combo nicely. They even had a red bandanna around their neck.

            “Brio’s in her store down there. She asked me to get us some NNiceBurgs.” I informed them. They tilted their head quizzically.

            “You mean you’re Brio’s kid? I haven’t talked to her in ages. The name’s Flame-Dog, F.D. for short, kid. What’s yours?” They asked, squatting down and reaching out their paw to shake. I gingerly shook paws with them.

            “I’m Sasha…” Monster seem really nice so far, but does ‘stranger danger’ still apply? F.D.’s brown eyes glanced down at the soft pink awning only a block away.

            “Well, Sasha, why don’t I walk with you? Can’t be too careful nowadays…” They said gruffly. I shook my head.

            “I don’t want to bother you. It’s just a short walk.” I said, feeling my tails twitch. They shook their head.

            “Ain’t no bother, Sasha. C’mon.” They said, putting their paws in their jean pockets and walking beside me. I shrugged my shoulders and continued walking. I appreciated how F.D. slowed their walk enough that I didn’t have to jog to keep up.

            The heat was just starting to bug me when we entered the small shop. It was designed like an ice cream parlor, despite selling what I understood to essentially be burgers. Frozen burgers, I guess? I’m not really sure. There were two other Monster in the shop besides the tan cat in the pale pink shirt and red suspenders. The cat seemed really cheerful and happy, their eyes locking on the tall form of F.D. first.

            “Hey, F.D.! Oh! And what’s up, little dude?” They asked, leaning cheerfully over the counter.

            “Hello. Two NiceBurgs please.” I said, walking up to the counter and heaving myself onto the barstool that was above my eye level. I almost didn’t see the paws of _both_ F.D. and the NiceBurg guy twitch, but I felt warm because of it. It _was_ the thought that counted, after all. That and, despite being more or less okay about basically being a child again, I wasn’t quite ready to be babied.

            “Alright, that’ll be twenty-five G, little dude. I don’t recall seeing you before. Where ya from?” I kicked my feet and tried to figure out how to pull twenty-five gold from… wherever I went. Mentally, I tried to just _pull_ , and three gold coins spilled over the counter. Two with a big ten on one side and a single five gold coin.

            “Oh! I’m so sorry about that!” Ice-Berg guy shook his head and easily swept the coins into a neat pile.

            “No need to worry, ole Frosty got ya covered. Easy trick, just cup your paws if it’s small.” I made a soft noise and flexed my paws. Good to know. And what _accent_ is that, anyway? I keep getting easy-going city slicker… but not quite?

            “Sasha here is Brio’s kid, Frosty. Can ya believe it?” F.D. asked like it was rather surprising. Frosty’s ears flicked from their upright position as though they were startled.

            “Oh really? Then I suppose one’s for her then?” They asked. I nodded.

            “Yeah. Not sure where I came from, but Brio adopted me… a little while ago, I guess? From the hospital.” I said cheerfully, wondering if it was alright to just casually drop _‘when my Soul exploded’_. Somehow, I don’t think it would be handled well. But Frosty nodded and reached into the big freezer behind him, bringing out two fist sized pink-wrapped packages.

            “Oh, well, I hope you’re feeling better... What were you in there for? Were you sick? Two NiceBurgs… you want anything, F.D.?” They asked, giving me the packages before briefly turning towards F.D., who shook their head.

**You bought (2) NiceBurg(s)!**

**This frosty treat is rather confusing, but quite delicious!**

**\+ 15 HP**

            “Oh… well, my Soul exploded.” The look on their faces… _priceless_ , “But I’m okay now! Dr. Undyne cleared me and everything, though I _do_ have to go back in for a checkup later…” I shrugged my shoulders cause, hey, what can you do? I scooted off the chair and started heading out, “Bye, Frosty! See ya around!” I said cheerfully, my foot slipping on the floor and causing me to trip.

            “Oh! A-Are you alright?!”

            “That was a sick fall, little dude!” F.D. and Frosty exclaimed. I think I heard a worried cry from the two other Monsters, but I only laughed as I got back up.

            “I’m a-alright! Doing great considering I’m… what? Two weeks old so far? Fantastic progress. Should have seen me trying to sweep earlier! I smacked my snout so hard!” I laughed a little and brushed off my sweater and pants, shaking my head. I looked back and saw four Monsters giving me a very… pained look. Maybe I should stop teasing them…

            “I… think you should walk them back, F.D. Give Brio my congrats to the adoption and all…” Frosty said slowly, F.D. nodding their head in agreement, “And I guess I’ll be seeing you around then… Sasha, was it?” I nodded.

            “Yep. Sasha Snowdin!” I called out, letting F.D. open the door for me, “Thanks, F.D.” and we were back in the heat again.

            “Would you like me to carry you, Sasha? The streets over here are pretty clean, but they can be rough on the paws…” F.D. asked cautiously. I shook my head.

            “No, I’m alright. Thanks for offering though.” we walked back to Brio’s shop, F.D. beating me to the door again. Brio looked up from a magazine and smiled.

            “Hey Sasha, I see you’ve met F.D.” Brio said with a small smile.

            “Yep. Here ya go. One NiceBurg.” I said, holding out my paw and _pulling_ one NiceBurg into my hands.

**Give NiceBurg to Brio?**

**Yes? <**

**No?**

            It felt quite chilly as I gave it to Brio. When I moved to give her the rest of the gold she shook her head.

            “No, consider it yours, Sasha. For helping clean up the shop.” I huffed a little but didn’t argue, “Aren’t you going to try your NiceBurg?” I nodded and _pulled_ again.

**Eat NiceBurg?**

**Yes? <**

**No?**

The flavor was… odd. It tasted like a slightly sweet hamburger and felt quite refreshing to eat.

**\+ 15 HP!**

**Sometimes, we need to think outside the box for new possibilities!**

**How insightful!**

            I snorted and gave the wrapper to Brio so she could throw it away. F.D. was looking at a case of Cinna-Bunnies longingly. Brio winked at me before addressing them.

            “Hey, F.D. Did you come here to chat or to buy something?” They snapped their head over to us and sheepishly grinned.

            “Oh, I guess a little of both…” they said, scratching the back of their neck.

            “Well, Sasha, why don’t you go rest upstairs for a bit?” I gave a little whine, “Now, I don’t want to hear it! I can see you’re tired already. You don’t even have to nap. Just lay down. Watch a video for a bit.” I sighed and started to head up the stairs. But not before turning around and waving at F.D., who waved back, his tail wagging a little.

            “Bye, F.D. Thanks for walking me…”

            “It was my pleasure. See you later, Sasha.” They said, just as I went upstairs. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to resist napping. It _was_ quite the walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so now you see the bit of fun I can have with a /small/ Sasha. That, and it would feel weird to have someone about my own height being treated like a fragile child, because she /is/ technically that. Now, she's a little closer, physically, to a child and it wouldn't be odd for her to occasionally be babied by others. That, and she has a reason to trip more often, which is even more fun because the Monsters around her sort of panic when she does. Like if you saw a toddler fall over. You're first instinct is probably to help or express concern, but she's mentally old enough to brush it off rather than cry, further throwing other Monsters off. Anyway, seriously, if you guys have any ideas for bonding things for Brio and Sasha to do, please tell me. My mother-daughter bonding time was mainly to watch movies together, but that seems a little boring to write... Maybe they could... go to the park? Or something? I don't know, I guess we'll find out.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and feel free to leave a comment, request, or recommendation!


	17. Neighborhood Watch and A Playdate?

            “So… you adopted a kid, Brio?” F.D. asked as casually as he could. Brio almost snorted in laughter.

            “Yeah. She’s a nice kid.” Brio said neutrally, waiting for the worrywart to get to the point.

            “And really… _really_ young, too. She mentioned something about… her Soul exploding?” F.D. forced a laugh from his throat, “Gosh darn kids, ain’t that right?” Brio shook her head. It _did_ sound rather outrageous. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t true.

            “Yeah, she’s a little mystery. Her entire system restarted because of that. Almost didn’t make it, but she scrapped through. I appreciate you walking her to the store and back, though. I would have walked her but… I don’t want to crowd her too much.” Brio sighed, slicking her ears back with a paw before they swung back upright. F.D. looked like he’d swallowed a whole lemon slice thinking it was an orange.

            “O-Oh! W-What in tarnation happened, Brioche?” Brio knew F.D. was serious when he used her full name rather than the shortened version she had gone by her whole life. She couldn’t share the whole truth with F.D., as much as she wished to, but a little bit would likely go a long way.

            “…Something bad is going down, F.D. Captain Alphys is looking into it. I can’t say much but… Someone hurt her real bad. She can’t remember the whole thing but… whatever they did. It killed her, and others too.” Brio shook her head, “Just… keep an eye out, alright? You and the gang—“ F.D. stopped her there with a gentle paw.

            “I got ya, Brio. I may not have enlisted in the Royal Guard, but I know when secrets gotta be kept. I’ll spread the word. We’ll _all_ keep an eye out. For the both of ya.” Brio smiled.

            “Thanks, F.D…. So, about those Cinna-Bunnies you were drooling over…” Brio started teasingly, causing the Monster to blush.

            “Shucks, Brio! You know I can’t resist yer baked goods any day of the week!” F.D. cried out, causing Brio to burst out laughing. The Monster was just too fun to tease sometimes.

\--I swear that wasn’t supposed to be so cute!—

            It was an hour later when F.D. returned to Frosty’s joint, a solemn expression on his face. Several more Monsters were inside and had already heard about the newest addition to their humble business district. F.D. sat at the counter and sighed heavily. There were a few more Monsters that needed to get there before he could talk about the unsettling news. They were a small group of Monsters who, for one reason or another, never made it into the Royal Guard. But that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t fight for their community. The Royal Guard couldn’t be everywhere with their shiny armor and heavy weaponry, but the civilian Monsters however… well, they were everywhere. And they’d be damned if this new, shadowy threat would hurt anyone else. Human _or_ Monster.

\--Like the Neighborhood Watch but with magic!--

            Apparently, four days was just too long for Sans to wait. He absolutely insisted on a joint playdate with Chara and I on Friday. Since Brio wanted to make sure I was comfortable with the skeletons brothers, that play date took place at their house. Oddly enough, despite the rather nice urban neighborhood, their house was the only one decorated for Christmas. That, and the roof was covered in snow that didn’t seem to melt despite the warm temperature outside.

            Thankfully, Mrs. Toriel provided a car so I didn’t have to walk to meet up with Chara. I’m pretty sure I’d pass out for a few hours trying to make it all the way across the several districts provided to the Monsters for special businesses, buildings, and housing. Brio couldn’t make it, but she did give me a package of a dozen Cinna-Bunnies to give to the skeleton brothers and their father. My M-Pad was safely tucked away in that strange other-space and Barry nestled comfortingly against my chest. Barry looked an awful lot like the driver, actually, who was a large black bear in a clean security uniform.

            In the backseat next to me was Chara in a clean purple and white stripped sweater with the Delta Rune on the front. They looked quite happy, but also oddly distracted, their eyes catching on something in the empty seat between us. I was wearing an oversized stripped dark and light purple sweater. Clearly, this sweater was from a little later in Brio’s childhood. Idly, I wondered if Papyrus and Sans’ dad was nice.

            “Hey, are you nervous about the playdate?” Chara asked softly. I turned towards them and nodded, “Don’t be. Papyrus rarely does anything but watch and make jokes and I don’t think Sans has a cruel bone in his body! Oh, and Gaster is really nice, too! A little goofy and like a… what was it? A ‘Mr. Mom’?” Chara questioned. I snickered a little.

            “Okay then…” I said, running my claws gently through the fur of one of my tails. Chara bust out laughing when they saw my new addition and spent the first five minutes of the drive gently petting my tails. I was glad that they didn’t pull my tails. I wasn’t sure if that would feel very good considering a tail is usually directly attached to the spine/pelvic area and I have _two_. The car slowed to a stop and the bear Monster shifted in their seat to face us with a small smile.

            “Alright, we’re here. Gaster has my number for when you two need to go back so just have fun, alright?” I nodded and unbuckled my seatbelt, Chara practically jumping forward to embrace the Monster.

            “Thanks, Rubus!” Chara grabbed my paw and pulled me along to the front porch where we are now waiting for someone to answer the door. Clearly, I wasn’t expecting a very strange and energetic skeleton Monster to answer the door. Nope, not Sans, but likely his father, Gaster.

            “Why, hello, children! Come in, come in! Chara, it’s good to see you and hello there! I don’t think we’ve met before, I’m Gaster, the Skele-Dad!” The tall skeleton crouched down and held out his hand for me to shake. I took a moment to take in his odd appearance. For the most part, he looked like a slightly taller version of Papyrus with minor differences. His face didn’t quite resemble a skull, more like a mask with a line going up from his right socket and down on his left. His eyes were also two distinctly different colors as well, the right being orange and the left blue. His hands also seemed to have clean, circular holes in them. But I did have to admit it… he certainly dressed like a Mr. Mom. A bright orange sweater with a blue vest and beige pants with a stained pastel flower printed apron on top. I reached out and shook his hand, trying not to just grab the hole.

            “It’s nice to meet you, Sir.” I said politely. Gaster pouted childishly.

            “Hey now, no need for formalities, cutie-pa-toot! Just Gaster!” He proclaimed in that oddly smooth voice that seemed to catch on seemingly random syllables.

            “Okay then… Mr. Gaster.” I said cheekily with a grin as Gaster puffed out his cheeks, a blue and orange blush spreading across his face that turned into an odd shade of green right where his nose would be if he had one.

            “Dad! Why didn’t you tell me my playdates were here?!” Sans cried out as he barreled down the stairs. Gaster turned towards his son, a pout still never leaving his face.

            “Sa-ans! Tell the cutie-pie that they can’t call me _Mr._ Gaster!” he whined. Sans looked quite nice in a gray shirt with black pants and a bright blue bandanna. Chara giggled at my predicament as Gaster pulled me into his chest for extra effect. Sans huffed.

            “Sasha, while your desire for polite terms of address is quite refreshing, please make an exception for my dad, or he’ll never stop complaining!” I scratched my chin like I was thinking on the matter before heaving a heavy sigh. Gaster took that as a sign of acceptance and began cheering.

            “Oh sweet Delta! Thank you, Sasha! I just feel so old whene-“

            “Alright, _Mr. Gaster_.” I interrupted with a big grin, laughing heartily whenever he started to cry out as though he’d been shunned.

            “I just want to be _cool_! Not stiff and formal and… _Mr. Gaster_!” He cried out dramatically as he stood up with me still in his arms. By this point I was just _dying_ with laughter. I didn’t even care if one single ounce of this was being faked. Gaster was hilarious! Papyrus strolled into the living room casually and smirked.

            “Aw, but pops… don’t you know that—“

            “Papyrus! Don’t you dare!” Sans spat out, but he wouldn’t be stopped. Not for anything.

            “You’re _cool to the bone_?” Papyrus finished smoothly as though Sans never interrupted him in the first place. Gaster sniffled a little and looked over to his son.

            “Truly?” He asked as though Papyrus’ reply held the key to all his hopes and dreams. Papyrus grinned.

            “I wouldn’t tell a… _fibula_.” Papyrus said, causing Sans to fall to his knees and clutch his skull in agony.

            “Curses, I will never be free of these _puns_! They wear me down to the _bone_!” Sans cried out, sounding very much like his father, “Mweh-heh-he!” he muttered softly, letting his head roll back in defeat. I continued laughing as Chara just rolled with the antics of the skeleton household, their attention occasionally drifting to a spot just to their right, oddly enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I fell for a scam on Saturday (because common sense just leaves me to fend for myself on occasion) and I've spent the past few days scouring my computer for malware and shit. Save yourselves the trouble and remember: If someone calls claiming to be from Microsoft (about something in your computer not working) and you didn't contact them first, it's always a scam. Just hang up the phone and never give them access to your computer. If need be, block that number, like I did. For all three numbers that they called from. I didn't lose any money, thankfully, cause i'm a broke ass bitch, but I did spend several hours being bombarded with porn. I don't need to be told that 'it's natural' you fucking pervert. I can find better material from amateur fanfics on Wattpad. I don't have any goddamn interest in your stupid ass porn videos!
> 
> Sorry bout that. It's just been... getting me. *sigh* Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! This Gaster is inspired by Bunnymuse's design. You can find him on Deviantart. I honestly don't know where i'd find the original creator of Underswap, so i'll just leave that to you guys. You probably know better than I do. But, until I post the next chapter, i'm taking requests and ideas for what activities they'll do on this playdate and what they'd do during the upcoming mall trip! I've been to a few malls before, but only two or three, so i'm not sure what all the possibilities are in that area.
> 
> As always, feel free to leave a comment, request, or recommendation!


	18. Does this Count as Cheating?

            After that… interesting debacle, it took a while for Sans to convince Gaster that he should put me down. Truthfully, I didn’t mind all that much. I mean, I _knew_ that I didn’t need to be carried around like a child, but I could hardly argue against it. It wasn’t like I was fully grown or that I didn’t feel like an infant to pretty much _every_ Monster I encountered. Besides… this dramatic skeleton was hilarious.

            “Dad! Please put Sasha down! How will we engage in fun activities if you insist on carrying them around like that?” Papyrus just leaned against the wall and enjoyed the show.

            “Are you insinuating that _I_ can’t play too? Gasp! The _betrayal_!” Gaster sniffed, even as he readjusted his grip so I was both properly supported and my tails free to swing around.

            “Of course not! I am merely saying that Sasha cannot possible participate from within your hold! How shall they play hide and seek or solve puzzles if they aren’t allowed to walk around?” Sans argued, his fists planted firmly at his sides.

            “B-But—“

            “Dad…” Sans said warningly, “Put my playmate down, you’re defeating the entire purpose of this visit!” Gaster heaved a sigh and set me gently on the floor.

            “They’re so fluffy…” Gaster mourned with one last pat to my head. I giggled a little and walked up to Sans.

            “Hey Sans, how’s it been?” Sans swept me into his arms in a hug before putting me back down.

            “I am doing magnificently, Sasha!” Sans declared, “Since it is your first time here, do you have a game you’d like to play?” I shrugged my shoulders.

            “I don’t know… I don’t think I’ve ever really… played before.” I said, thinking back to my isolated childhood. Sans puffed out his cheeks and frowned.

            “Well then, I suppose we’ll just have to start with something simple! Hide and Seek! The only rule is that you can’t go outside or go up high places!” Sans declared, “I will be the seeker, and the rest of you will go hide while I close my eyes and count to a hundred!” Gaster clapped his hands together in excitement and started to run before Sans even covered his eyes. Chara giggled a little and started to move out of the room, tilting their head in question only briefly but I shook my head in return. I think I knew what to do. The only one who didn’t even bother moving was Papyrus. In fact, he moved slowly forward and sat down on the couch in front of the TV. I looked around for hiding places.

            The main room that I was in looked like a large living room, the entrance to the kitchen just past the TV and a staircase on the left side of the room. I could just barely see four doors on the upstairs landing, the most decorated door on the far right side gently opening and closing. I think I saw Gaster dash into the kitchen. I looked over at Papyrus again, noticing how the couch wasn’t quite all the way against the wall. The perfect hiding spot for my small form. I looked over at Sans, who was still standing in the center of the room with his hands over his eyes and counting.

            “…43, 44, 45, 46, 47—“ I quietly stepped over to the couch, raising a finger over my lips when Papyrus looked over at me, and crawled between the couch and the wall. It smelled like chalk and musky fabric in this dark area. Sans was reaching one hundred and I could faintly hear Nabstabot on TV, “…96, 97, 98, 99, 100! Papyrus! You’re _supposed_ to be hiding! Ugh! Fine, you’re out!” I heard footsteps run out to the kitchen and deep laughter.

            “Y-You got me, Sans! Who’re you going to find next?” Gaster asked.

            “I’m not sure, but I think I’ll check upstairs next!”

            “Alright, I’m going to start making some snacks. Good luck, son.” Gaster said as footsteps ran past the living room and up the stairs. The couch squeaked as Papyrus stood up.

            “I’m going outside for a smoke break…” He said, the front door opening up as he walked out.

            “—And we’re back! How’s it going cool dudes?” Nabstabot asked brightly. I really wanted to watch it but… I’m supposed to be hiding. But I _also_ really want to see what’s going on. Carefully, I crawl out from behind the couch and sit in the middle seat, sitting Barry next to me after brushing off a few dust bunnies. It looks like Nabstabot was showing off his musical visualization program. I heard a door crash open and laughter come pouring downstairs.

            “Aha! You found me, am I the last one?” I heard Chara ask.

            “Nope, I need to find Sasha! Dad’s in the kitchen making snacks!”

            “I’ll go help him!” Shit! I didn’t have time to dash behind the couch again! If only Papyrus was still sitting here! I could have hidden behind him—A strange feeling swept over me. It was sort of like a gossamer curtain was being swept over my bare skin, only I was covered in fur. Or at least, I was. I felt a strange sense of vertigo as I was suddenly a lot taller than before. Looking down I saw Barry at my side but… it wasn’t my body I was looking at. I mean, it was still _me_ , somehow, but I wasn’t the same anymore. I was now wearing dark cargo pants and a large orange hoodie, my exposed limbs now skeletal rather than furry. I imagine that if I had a mirror, I’d see Papyrus’ face rather than my own. But I didn’t have any time to think about it as Sans came back downstairs with Chara.

            “Where could Sasha possibly be? Papyrus, do you have any ideas?” Sans asked, looking over at me, his eye sockets squinting, “Perhaps it’s a trick of the light, but it looks almost like your sweatshirt is stripped brother!” Sans proclaimed as Chara went into the kitchen. Internally I panicked but tried to keep my calm.

            “Eh, maybe… I just… didn’t want to be _spotted_?” I said, moderately surprised that my voice was just like Papyrus’s own, “Did you check the bathroom?” Sans’ brightened up and went back upstairs. Just as he cleared the staircase, Papyrus came back inside and froze, his eyes on me for several long moments. I wonder how weird it was to see such a panicked expression on his own face? But, oddly enough, he didn’t say anything. He just sat back down in his original spot and continued to watch TV like there wasn’t a doppelganger next to him… I guess he’s just _that_ chill. Sans came back downstairs, a perturbed expression on his face.

            “Sasha isn’t in there, brothe—“ Sans stared at the both of us for a very long moment, “…Pappy? Why are there two of you? Dad! Why are there two Pappys?” Sans cried out, quickly retreating to the kitchen. I could feel an ache in my bones as a yawn broke through. Papyrus was chuckling next to me.

            “That’s some impressive magic, kid. But not Monster magic, I think… it feels… _different_.” He said softly as I started to shrink, two tails swinging into my lap.

            “Two Pappys?! I have to see this!” Gaster cried out, running into the living room. I wasn’t sure how much like Papyrus I looked anymore, I was just so tired…

\--Because I know you wanna know…--

            Gaster absolutely loved the human child Chara! All the danger they went through and the countless hours they spent making Monsters happy! It was also quite nice to see his sons get along so well with someone else, they were so independent and had a difficult time really getting close to other Monsters! He just met Sasha, but he knew that the child was good. He had a sixth sense about these things. Even _if_ Sasha preferred to use such formal addresses!

            They were so small too! He felt like he was back in time when his sons were just baby bones! Well, Sasha was more… furry than his sons ever were, but the sentiment was still there. Not to mention how _young_ Sasha felt! Oh, he knew Chara was a child as well, but they didn’t make Gaster feel incredibly protective by sheer instinct alone. They didn’t carry a sense of fragility wherever they went alongside their indomitable Determination! Of course not!

            So, when Sans told him there were _two_ Papyrus’, he just had to see! He did feel a strange change in the living room, but just shrugged it off! So, he had to hold back a squeal at what he saw. There, next to Papyrus, was a small skeleton half Papyrus’ size. They visibly seemed to be shrinking, small white patches of fur sprouting on chubby cheeks. They still held the basic skull shape of a skeleton, but it was closer to Sans than Papyrus. They also had small white furry ears on the top of their skull. Their feet—such cute little skeleton feet!—were bare but their pants seemed to be slowly returning to normal. As was the sweater, though it still held the baggier shape of a sweatshirt. By far the cutest thing was their eyes. They were large and seemed to be wells of soft green light, just barely held open. Clearly, whatever magic gave them their skeleton form was rather taxing.

            Sasha tucked their feet under them and curled around the stuffed bear. Yawning widely, little fangs glinting in the light of a green magical construct in the shape of a tongue, they fell over into Papyrus’ lap. Gaster swiftly pulled out his phone and took a picture, posting it on the Undernet and sending a copy to Brio.

            “OHmygoodnessthisissocutewhatmagicisthisican’teven!” Gaster squealed under his breath, Sans looking on in awe.

            “I don’t know but it is amazing! Perhaps I shall ask when Sasha wakes up!” Sans said, Chara peeking out from the kitchen and laughing.

            “Sasha looks like a little skeleton kitty!” Chara said softly. Papyrus just gently pet Sasha’s head and ran a hand down their back, seemingly causing Sasha to fully change back, the odd earring they had glittering white in the light briefly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, now you guys see the main reason for this playdate! Just a little reveal of an ability! A Kitsune ability to be specific! Of course, with practice she'll get better, but there are still limitations! She can't change her mass (which means that until she's bigger, she won't be able to completely morph into an adult human. Monster adults are easier because they don't have much physical mass), it isn't a guarantee she'll be able to use that person's abilities, and all changes are semi-physical. If she's somehow startled or severely hurt, she'll change back, regardless of skill level. I wonder what else will happen?
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to comment, request, or recommend things! Now I need to sleep!


	19. Where I Try to Real Talk Serious Issues and Trouble Brews in the Streets...

            _Once again, I was in a dark, candlelit room with My Lady before me._

_“W-What?!” I changed turned into Papyrus and then just… fell asleep? Was that just a dream?_

_“No, Kit. It was real. A Kitsune gift, actually. Our people have always had many strong gifts, shapeshifting being one of them. For the time being, you’ll find that using this power is… tiring. And until you are older, you won’t be able to change into anything heavier than yourself.” My Lady said regally, sipping from a small clay cup._

_“I… Thank you, My Lady, for explaining it to me but…” She chuckled._

_“Why?” I nodded, “I thought it best to tell you some… details in person, so to speak.”_

_“Oh… Alright. Uhm, thank you. Again.” I said, uncertain if there was a specific reply she wanted. She looked up from her cup and smiled at me, her many tails slowly moving from side to side._

_“You should also keep in mind that, while instincts will fill in the details, it’s best to know as much as possible about what form you will take. And that your tails and ears can just… pop out from time to time. Pulling on your tail will instantly change you back, as will serious injury or surprise. On occasion, particularly when around objects of… Holy power or perceptive people, your shadow or reflection can give you away as well. Just in case you decide to cause mischief as a human.” I started at that. H-Human? So I could…? My body tingled with warmth as I suddenly felt very… naked, despite my clothes still being on. Every inch of fur was gone, leaving human skin and a normal body structure. I wanted to cry. I could…_

_But I still wasn’t me. I guess, given how little I weigh, I couldn’t shift back into my old human body. I was probably barely two, my slight weight restricting my growth immensely. I felt tears run down my cheeks. Maybe, given time, I could go back?_

_“Are you unhappy as a kit?” I jerked in surprise and looked up at My Lady. She wasn’t mad, in fact, she seemed… rather gentle but solemn._

_“N-No…” I answered in confusion. I wasn’t unhappy, not, at least, with my new life. Quite the opposite. I was free, though that freedom scared me deep down. I used to spent every waking moment carefully constructing a façade to push people away, but now I didn’t have to do that anymore. I probably acted quite childish considering my actual age, but it was just so liberating to laugh so freely without thought. I was brought back to the conversation by a small clack of clay against hardwood as My Lady sat her cup down. She opened her arms to me in a universal gesture. I almost fell over, unused to human legs, as I stumbled into her arms. She embraced me with the light scent of sandalwood and the soft warmth of silk._

_“Oh, Kit… You_ know intellectually _you cannot return to your old life. But your heart… it craves the normalcy of your human life. As restricting and suffocating as it was. Humans truly are strange creatures. They have the tenacity to survive the most horrid of situations but sometimes… they don’t want to leave them. Some part of them remains conditioned to surviving against the odds.” By now I was sobbing into her chest, “This feeling will pass… perhaps not in its entirety, but you need to remain firm, Kit._ You deserve to be happy. Even if it takes finding a new life and a new family, all your own _. Never doubt that, Kit.” She whispered into my ear as she rubbed my back, fur returning along with my…_ my real body _._

_A few things occurred to me then. Leaving my past behind wasn’t as simple as I first thought. Emotions still linger within me alongside instincts honed to make it through another day. But… each day is a new day and I can do it. I’m not alone. I have Sans, Papyrus, Chara, Mrs. Toriel, Dr. Undyne, Captain Alphys and even Brio… my mom. As well as My Lady, as much as I may wonder about her intentions. I’m going to be okay… because, despite everything, it’s still **me**._

\--If anyone could see the possible negatives of being able to shapeshift, it would be her Lady. Oh, and angst feels for you guys too. Sometimes, we’re not quite over it like we thought we were. These thoughts wait until we’re at our weakest before striking. Just remember. You deserve to be happy and you _can_ choose your family.—

            I woke up with my face burrowed into Barry’s fur and my upper body propped on an oddly comfortable but hard lap. Looking up I saw Papyrus holding a hand of playing cards with a firm look on his features, at least until he happened to look down at me. He cracked a grin.

            “Hey, _ace_. I see you’re awake. Clever trick you pulled… you could say that you—“

            “Papyrus! Don’t you dare siege Sasha with puns! They just woke up!” Sans shouted from the floor with his elbows propped on the coffee table, his gloves gripping a hand of cards close to his chest since Gaster seemed to be trying to sneak a peek at his cards and cheat. Chara, however, was glancing at Gaster’s cards all the while with a devious expression on their face.

            “What? I was just going to say that they had a _wild card_ up their sleeve.” Papyrus said innocently.

            “We’re not playing Uno, Papyrus! We’re playing Go Fish!” Sans cried out. I snorted a little and slowly sat up, curling around Barry a little more. I felt better after that… odd nap.

            “How long was I out?” I asked.

            “Oh, just over an hour, Sasha.” Gaster said helpfully, turning his attention back to his own cards without realizing Chara’s deception, “You make the cutest little sounds when you sleep! I almost woke you up from squealing!” He cried out happily with a dopey smile on his face. I huffed and buried my nose in Barry’s fur.

            “Would you like to join us, Sasha?” Chara asked. I shook my head.

            “No… maybe in the next round.” I said, Sans’ tilting his head in thought.

            “Do you have… a five?” He asked Papyrus.

            “Not a _one_ … There’s snacks in the kitchen if you’re feeling hungry. Just help yourself, _kit_.” He replied. I nodded my head and started to scoot off the couch. I had to kick my feet a bit to get the force needed to jump off the couch since my toes couldn’t touch the floor. But I managed to not fall on my face, so I guess that’s a success in my books. I pattered into the kitchen, pausing briefly in the doorway while shifting Barry in my arms.

            “Do any of you want anything?” I asked, my question being met with a round of negative replies. The kitchen was spotless but there was a problem I didn’t see coming. I was too short to even see the countertops. I had no idea how to find the snacks, let along reach them. There was a crash in the living room as Gaster threw himself into the kitchen.

            “Oh dear! I _completely_ forgot that you were short, sweetheart! Let me help you!” He proclaimed, gently scooping me into his arms so I could see the rather impressive spread on the counters.

            “That counts as a forfeit, dad!” Sans cried out from the living room. Gaster just clicked his tongue and got a cup from the cabinets.

            “Would you like something to drink as well, dear?” He asked.

            “Yes, please.” I said, looking at my food options. There was a fair selection of finger food, all of it healthy. Well, assuming I don’t pig out on cheese and crackers alone. A small bowl slid over to the food by a large and translucent orange hand identical to Gaster’s own. I looked up at him in surprise, finding his orange eye light to be letting off a small stream of orange smoke.

            “It’s just some dad magic, don’t worry about it! Now, what would you like?” He asked, his blue eye light starting to let of a small stream of blue smoke as a translucent blue hand appeared next to his head.

            “Uh… milk and a little bit of everything else to eat.” I said, watching the blue hand zoom over to the fridge and retrieve the milk. Turning my head I watched as the orange one gentle picked a small portion of fruit, vegetables, cheese, and crackers, neatly filling the bowl with them. Putting away the milk his weird magic hands grabbed the bowl and cup, following us into the living room. Gaster sat back down and the hands set their burdens on the table in front of me. From my position in Gaster’s lap, I could easily reach both of them. Oh, he even added a straw to the cup of milk! Gaster is… really good at this parenting thing.

            I settled down in his lap and stretched my legs before starting on the bowl, taking the occasional sip of milk as the game continued around me, minus Gaster due to his technical forfeit. Surprisingly, Sans won.

            “Mweh-hehehe! The Magnificent Sans conquers once more!” He declared happily, causing Chara to let out a defeated sigh before something took their notice. They laughed a little and reached for my left foot, fingers pressing into the pads of my toes. My foot jerked slightly due to the odd tickling sensation.

            “Hah! I didn’t realize you had _those_ Sasha!” Chara cried out. I looked at them, a grape tomato gently clasped in my claws.

            “Had what?” Chara giggled and gently pressed the pads again.

            “Feet beans!” They said cheerfully, causing me to almost choke on the tomato if it hadn’t of just disappeared down my throat.

            “C-Chara!” I cried out laughingly, the feeling of my ‘feet beans’ being toyed with similar to a massage _and_ a tickle. I desperately tried to remove my foot from their grip, but it was something of a losing battle, especially since the skeletons refused to help, preferring to _laugh_ at my misery. Gaster in particular held me to him as Sans tested the pads of my hand. It was less ticklish on my hand, but considering how Sans didn’t let that phase him, it must have given him the same satisfaction, “T-Traitors! Traitors all of you!” I shouted as Gaster reached down to my other foot. Papyrus was too lazy to get off the couch but he seemed particularly satisfied as his brother started laughing.

\--How goes the neighborhood watch?—

            Frosty’s place was mostly empty with only F.D., Brio and Frosty himself occupying it. F.D. shook his head.

            “I don’t like it…” He muttered, looking pensively into his glass of water. Brio toyed with her phone in worry.

            “Yeah, it’s rather worrisome… How did we not notice it before?” She asked gently. Frosty shook his head.

            “Some Monsters wanted to travel before settling down… others don’t socialize much… and the surface is still dangerous to lone Monsters.” He stated, looking down at the text history in his phone.

            “How many missing Monsters were taken? We’ve been on high alert for only a few days and we’ve already stopped three kidnappings! Three!” F.D. growled, banging his fist on the counter.

            “Do… do you think that what happened to Sasha is connected?” Brio asked uncertainly. She didn’t like the thought of her charge being in such danger. Not after all she’s survived so far.

            “I don’t see how it _can’t_ be. If it was a hate crime, they’d be dusted where they stood. But they weren’t. Whoever is trying to gather Monsters wants them _alive_ … at least for the moment. Do you think Alphys already knows?” F.D. whispered. Brio shook her head.

            “No… not entirely, otherwise we’d have a curfew and warnings on every street. But she will. I’ll make sure of it. For the time being, spread the word. No one goes alone _anywhere_. Adult or not, the bigger the group the better. Especially not after dark.” Brio said firmly. Both of the Monsters nodded.

            “And keep an eye out for unusual activity. Just because this group wants live Monsters doesn’t mean another group won’t go for mass killings.” Frosty suggested, the atmosphere of his shop feeling particularly heavy in that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well then, that was particularly long, wasn't it? I just hope I did that bit at the beginning justice. Originally, I was going to have Sasha find out she could shift into a human herself and then realize that a part of her misses her shitty home life, but I didn't want to have her work through that alone. Particularly since there's a chance she might have seriously damaged herself by going through it alone (considering her emotional health is very strongly connected to her physical well being). She may have some struggles with letting go of her control in the future, i'm not sure, but it also lets me reassure you guys that The Lady doesn't mean any harm. The Kitsune are notorious for caring about family. In fact, my research suggests that they refuse to kill another Kitsune, this family drive is so strong. I also wanted to have a cute little fluffy 'feet bean' thing, so my other goal was met, as well as revealing that Gaster still has his weird ghostly hand thing, though he calls it 'dad magic'.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and feel free to comment, request, or recommend. Oh, and if you feel as though i'm not handling a certain issue properly, please do leave constructive criticism below! I'm rather... emotionally challenged (in fact, I've been called a 'lizard-person' once before, though that /was/ after I told a dude I was asexual in response to his admission of pursuing me romantically) So, there /is/ a chance i'm not going about this the right way. I try to keep logic in mind when writing my characters and it's worked so far but... yeah, just update me if my execution is poorly done.


	20. A Game of Tag

            After a rather brutal and short game of Go Fish, Sans could no longer contain his energy and suggested we play outside.

            “What should we play?” Chara asked as we moved to the rather generous backyard. There were plenty of hiding spots in the bushes and a large tree with a swing. It almost looked like it should be in one of those magazines with the clean white fences built for privacy.

            “Tag of course! I don’t expect Papyrus to participate, though! Sasha, the same goes for you too!” I frowned. I understood why he’d be reluctant. I _was_ quite small and easily tired out. But… there was a stirring in my chest.

            “No. I’ll play… how do we play again? Just… run away from whoever is ‘it’ until we’re ‘it’, right?” I asked. Sans nodded.

            “Yes! But we’ll make things more interesting by letting everyone hide but whoever is it! You have to be tagged, so there’s a chance you can run and hide again if you’re quick! Once you’ve tagged someone, you’re out!” Sans said. For some reason, I felt like this change was to let us (namely myself) rest for as long as possible. Gaster looked like he was going to explode with excitement. I guess that means four people playing.

            “Alright, I’ll go first! I’m going to close my eyes and count to thirty! Quick! One. Two. Three. Four-” We all scattered. I think I saw Sans dart behind the tree and Chara jump into the bushes. I decided to duck into the garden hose pile, taking extra care to keep my tails tucked under me. I was a ninja, “Twenty-five. Twenty-six. Twenty-seven. Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Thirty! Ready or not, here I come!” Gaster declared before running around, giggling softly under his breath. I could see him from between the garden hose loops. I watched as Sans stealthily slid around the tree as Gaster checked the other side. But Gaster knew something was up and shot around the other side, which Sans somehow knew was going to happen and narrowly missed being seen. So, Gaster left the tree alone, his eyes cast suspiciously at the innocent oak until he heard Chara snicker in the bush.

            Carefully pretending like he didn’t notice, Gaster looked around while slowly making his way over to where Chara was hiding. Then, like a viper, he struck, his hand darting into the bush and lifting Chara up by their shirt with a pleased expression as he laughed.

            “You’re it!” He declared, bopping Chara on the nose and setting them down before joining Papyrus on the porch. Chara snapped their fingers before bolting to the tree, but Sans was faster. He ran away from his hiding spot and the chase began.

            “Get back here Sans! You can’t run forever!” Chara shouted.

            “The Magnificent Sans will never be ‘it’! Never!” I really hope Chara catches him. I don’t think I could ever actually catch Sans myself. I had an idea then. Slowly, trying to not catch their attention, I slid out from under the garden hose and climbed onto the porch. Gaster gave me an odd look but Papyrus just smirked as I set on the ground in front of their feet. It’ll take a while for whoever is ‘it’ to notice _me_ , when Papyrus and Gaster are sitting right behind me. And I made sure I wasn’t actually on the porch, just in case that would be cheating. Eventually, Chara outmaneuvered Sans and tagged him before cheerfully skipping onto the porch to sit down, not even noticing I was right there.

            “Good job, kid.” Papyrus commented.

            “Thanks, Papyrus.” Chara replied as Sans wildly looked around.

            “Curses! The Magnificent Sans won’t fail this challenge! Where are you Sasha?” Sans hollered, searching through the bushes. Chara giggled and looked over to my old hiding spot before frowning. I guess they could see into the loose circular pile. That was when they turned back towards Sans and saw me sitting at their feet. It was a very close call. They almost snorted in laughter, which I didn’t help any when I winked at them. Sans was now looking up into the tree like I could fly.

            “Having trouble there, Sans?” Papyrus asked. Sans didn’t even look up from the tree.

            “Not now, Papyrus, I need to find that wily Sasha!” Sans said, circling the tree as though he thought I was hiding from him there.

            “Too bad… we’re such an interesting group over here.” Papyrus said. I turned around and glared at him but Papyrus just kept grinning.

            “I know! I wish to join your ranks but Sasha is extraordinarily good at hiding!” Sans said, now running over to investigate the other side of the porch where I hid before. Judging by the rubbery sounds, he thought to look into garden hose pile.

            “You know, what you’re looking _could_ for is closer than you think.” Papyrus said.

            “Papyrus, you can’t help me! That’s cheating!” Sans said, turning to glare at his brother and almost spotting me, but I leaned back just in time. Chara was almost dying with laughter and Gaster wasn’t far behind. Sans huffed and marched to the front of the porch, just inches away from me, “How am I supposed to be superior if you sabotage me constantly with cheating hints, Papyrus!” Carefully, I slid to right behind him and tugged the back of his shirt.

            “Does this mean you’re it, Sans?” Sans turned around to briefly address me.

            “Not now, Sasha, I am trying to educate my brother about—SASHA!” Sans realized and started to chase me. I wasn’t used to running with this body, but it was hilarious, especially since everyone else lost it as Sans ran quickly behind me. But… not, I think, fast enough to catch me just yet. I laughed wildly as we circled the tree and ran around the yard. It was going pretty well until I tripped and shot five feet forward before tumbling another three into the bush.

            “Sasha!” I heard several cries and I tried to figure out where my body was in relation to the rest of the universe. Something tickled my nose and I sneezed, only to realize it was my tails. Ah. That explains why everything seems so confusing. My head was planted to the ground, my paws in the dirt, and my ass just beneath the first layer of leaves with my tails on my face. How dignified. If it wasn’t such a harsh position on my throat, I would have laughed, but I settle for struggling until a pair of hands lifted me out of the bush gently. It was Sans and he had a teary-eyed, concerned look on his face.

            “Sasha! Are you alright! I, The Magnificent Sans, have failed you!” he cried. I reached forward and batted his nasal cavity.

            “You’re it.” I said simply with a grin. Sans froze, his eyes blue stars with comet tails of teal tears before laughing.

            “Sasha! You have to be ‘it’ first!” He said with laughter as Gaster walked over and lifted me up, carefully brushing the dirt off my head and clothes.

            “Quite a _Tumble_ there kid.” Papyrus commented.

            “That was quite something indeed, Sasha. Do you feel alright?” Gaster said, seeming to not understand the implied pun and I nodded.

            “Yep, Mr. Gaster.” I said, snickering at the crest-fallen look he had.

            “I imagine you’re up for another round?” I nodded, “Very well then. This time, you start.” I grinned widely.

            “Okay!” I will _hunt them down_. Woah there… that was decidedly… _dark_? Weird…

\--Several rounds of tag and a ride home later!—

            Rubus gently slowed the car down to a stop and looked into the backseat. Chara was asleep next to Sasha, the two children making an adorable picture together. Silently, he took a picture to send to Queen Toriel and Brio. Speaking of, the rabbit monster walked outside of her shop and approached the car.

            “Hey, Rubus. Oh, looks like they’re tuckered out, huh?” He laughed at the soft expression on the fiery rabbit’s face.

            “Yeah, they fell asleep five minutes into the ride. Go on ahead and get your kid. I still need to take Chara to the Queen.” Rubus said softly. Brio nodded and quietly opened the door, gently lifting Sasha from the seat and tucked against her chest.

            “Thanks, Rubus. Tell Queen Toriel I said thank you as well.” Brio whispered as she closed the door.

            “Sure thing, Brio. I might swing back for some Cinna-Bunnies!” He said as he waved goodbye and drove off.

\--Now for Brio!—

            Brio laughed as she carried the slight Monster child in her arms and back upstairs. Sasha’s fur was dirty, as were her clothes, but a bath can wait until after she wakes up. At least she knew Sasha had fun. Hopefully, in the coming months, Sasha would get stronger. But Brio reasoned that Sasha was so young, so _new_ , so of course she tired easily. It would be strange if she just moved around like she would normally in her 17 year old human body. Especially since she had to me less than half her original size and well beneath a fourth of her original weight.

            Deep inside, she knew that trouble was coming. And that trouble would be coming after Sasha. Assuming that the people responsible for her death discovered she lived still, Brio knew that they would come for Sasha. Especially if the experiments were as fatal as Sasha’s last memory suggests. But she would be ready, and so would the dedicated monster citizens that made up the Neighborhood Watch. And the vile creatures responsible would pay. For everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Look, two stories updated in one night! Gosh, i'm spoiling you guys rotten! Oh, and just for clarification for the odd fellow who ran right through this fic, Sasha is 17, but still considered a minor in the human laws (going by the American age limits BTW, literally just realized that might be why you thought otherwise). I guess next chapter will be about the visit to the mall, won't it! Geez, I hope nothing... /happens/
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and feel free to comment, recommend, or request whatever!


	21. Mall Trip

            Today was the day we go out to the mall for clothes and some personal items. A small part of me felt bad about the necessity of the trip but I knew that there wasn’t anything I could say to change their minds. Besides, I couldn’t just wear Brio’s old clothes forever. _Eventually_ I’d need other clothes. Not to mention the comforter is starting to look gray from my fur. I really liked the color scheme but it just wasn’t ideal for a Monster with _white_ fur. Maybe I could just get a pale blue comforter and keep the sheets?

            I smoothed out the blue and purple sweater that I wore after I first woke up as a fox Monster. Light blue capri pants fit just right, though I was somewhat concerned that I didn’t have shoes since we were going to a public place frequented mostly by humans. But it wasn’t like I had access to a cobbler or anything that could make proper shoes for my goofy feet. I shook my head. I was stalling, a nervous thrum vibrating through my chest from my Soul. This would be my first time around actual humans since my transformation. Somehow, I don’t think it will go as peacefully as I hope.

            I grabbed Barry, my arms freezing as I held the soft bear close to my chest. Would it be alright to take Barry with me? Out in the open and not just tucked into my odd ‘inventory’, ready to be cuddled at a moment’s notice? I don’t want to be called out just because someone thinks I stole him… I’ll just ask Brio. Worse comes to worse and I’ll just… leave… Barry behind. My chest felt constricted. I haven’t put Barry _down_ for anything but showers since I got him. The thought of leaving _Barry_ behind for anything but absolute necessity made me feel… feel like the room was closing in. Like the air was slowly be replaced with a thick and viscous liquid, pressing against me on all sides. This—This was stupid. I’m almost a grown ass woman! In… a tiny, baby Kitsune body… I-I don’t _need_ a—a stuffed bear! But my arms refused to let go and trying to press the matter only made my anxiety worse. I don’t think they’d be able to remove Barry from my arms if they had the Jaws of Life on standby. I shook my head again and headed downstairs. Gaster has a car to take us to the mall and Brio wanted to make breakfast as an early ‘thank you’ for coming with us. By the smell, I’m guessing its French toast and bacon with eggs.

\--I’m still so proud of my pun with Brio’s name.—

            Brio was familiar with the eating habits of the skeleton family and knew their portions before they even arrived for breakfast. Sasha was a little trickier. Brio’s only had Sasha under her care for roughly a week, and so far her eating habits have been steady. Sasha eats a fair amount for her size. For the first few meals Brio thought Sasha didn’t eat much, but as it turned out, Sasha was actually under the impression she couldn’t ask for seconds. Another black mark for her previous family. Brio was so preoccupied with measuring the amount of food Sasha would likely eat that Brio almost didn’t notice Sasha shuffling into the kitchen with her ears practically fused to her skull.

            “Morning Sasha… are you feeling alright?” Brio asked, taking in the other silent indicators that Sasha wasn’t feeling well. The kit gripped Barry tightly, her shoulders hunched over, heels close to the ground as she walked, and her tails were trying to tuck between her legs and around her waist at the same time. But Sasha just shook her head like her Soul wasn’t practically crackling with anxiety.

            “No, I’m fine. When is Mr. Gaster and the others getting here?” Sasha asked. Brio cast a glance at the stove and decided she could afford to take her focus off of breakfast. The skeletons would understand if it was a little too crispy anyway. Brio turned around and carefully swept Sasha into her arms before gently depositing the kit onto the counter, leaning down to her eye-level.

            “Sasha… I know I’m not your mom but… you can tell me if something is wrong, I promise.” Sasha refused to look Brio in the eyes as she gently cupped her face, “Is it… is it because there’ll be humans, Sasha?” Brio could practically see Sasha curl up a little more.

            “…’m fine.” Sasha muttered and Brio just sighed, knowing she hit the nail on the head.

            “Oh, kit… I’m so sorry I didn’t think of that. We don’t have to go today. We could just have a big breakfast and just… stay here.” Brio offered. If need be, she could just give Gaster Sasha’s measurements and let him pick out some more clothes. But Sasha shook her head.

            “No. I’ll be fine. I can do this.” Sasha said, her voice shaking slightly but there was a strength in her eyes. New and fragile, but still there. Sasha, her sweet little kit, was scared… but Determined.

            “… I know you can. And you won’t be alone. I’ll be there and so will Gaster, Sans and Papyrus. And Barry too.” Brio said, briefly nuzzling Sasha and feeling relief at how much Sasha’s Soul had settled compared to when she first entered the kitchen. She also smiled at how relaxed Sasha was now. She wasn’t trying to curl up into a ball and her ears had a good amount of space from her head now. Brio gave Sasha one last nuzzle before returning to the stove, somewhat dreading the day she realized how much her emotions were broadcasted through her ears and tails alone.

            “…So, it’s alright if I bring Barry? It’s not…” Sasha struggled to find the proper words but ultimately failed. Brio set aside another batch of French toast and bacon. Right. Physically, Sasha was just a little kit, but on the inside… On the inside she was a teen, almost an adult, and humans usually ridiculed others for certain ‘childish’ behaviors. Not to mention they were going to a mall where, undoubtedly, similar toys would be sold. But no human mall would sell Muffet’s custom toys, certainly not yet anyway, so there wouldn’t be _any_ bear like Sasha’s in the whole mall.

            “Of course, kit. Now, how many slices of French toast would you like?” Brio asked casually, knowing that any attempt to logically explain Sasha’s dependence at this time would only make her feel bad about needing Barry. And she’ll likely need every comfort she can while at the mall. The front door opened and the skeletons had arrived.

            “Hey, Brio! Something smells good in here! And hello, Sasha!” Gaster declared, his sons following behind him easily. Gaster allowed himself a moment of cooing over Sasha before peaking over Brio’s shoulder to see what she was making, “Need any help there?” Gaster asked, resting his chin on Brio’s shoulder, but she could already see Gaster’s phalanges twitching with the need to help cook.

            “No, Gaster. But you can set out the plates and tell me how much you want.” Brio said, finishing up the last of the eggs. Gaster playfully clicked his tongue but set out on his given task anyway. Sans gleefully struck up a conversation while Papyrus nursed his cup of coffee from their home sleepily.

            “Good morning, Sasha! You’re almost as tall as I am now!” Sans declared teasingly, the counter not providing enough height for Sasha to be taller than Sans. Sasha reached out a paw and patted Sans’ cheek.

            “Soon…” She whispered darkly. Brio choked back laughter and, with Gaster’s help, served breakfast. It was really heartening to see Sasha interact so positively with other Monsters. Even Papyrus was throwing in the occasional tease between bites of French toast and sips of coffee.

\--Mweh, Nyeh, and Hyeh are the skele-family laughs.—

            I honestly don’t know what else I was expecting. Gaster’s car was a lime green minivan, a nice one at that, but with an eye-searing paint job. But the design was sturdy and I doubt anything less than a bulldozer would be able to scratch it. Which was unfortunate considering the color of the paint job. I guess I should just be glad it wasn’t an eye-searing orange and blue.

            I almost booked it when I saw the car seat, but Gaster was already lifting me up to buckle me into the demeaning contraption. Well, it wasn’t that bad, but it certainly wasn’t a treatment I expected to get. I really hope I go through a growth spurt soon. Sans at least pretended to pity me before giggling under his breath. Papyrus and Brio just laughed at my displeasure.

            The mall parking lot was huge and also quite crowded, but not overly so, thankfully. This would be difficult enough as is. Gaster didn’t even put me down when he rescued me from the fiendish car seat. When we finally entered the mall, I was actually glad he didn’t put me down. People. Human people everywhere I looked. Most just ignored our odd party, but a few cast curious glances and even a few nasty glares.

            “So, what are we getting today?” Sans asked excitedly, holding onto Papryus’ hand.

            “Sasha needs clothes and something to add personal touches to her room.” Brio said.

            “That’s right! I bet you could use some action figures!” Sans said. Papyrus let Sans drag him forward to the large map.

            “I’m… not sure if action figures are my thing, Sans.” I said, holding onto Gaster’s orange T-shirt to steady myself. But Sans was just full of energy. Thankfully, Brio was able to gently steer Sans towards the children’s clothing section. Most of the shirts weren’t striped and were automatically out of the question. There was also a sign that said monsters were banned from trying on the clothes beforehand. I could… sort of get it. I mean, I _did_ shed fur, but not all that much. And not every monster even had fur. So we had to settle for picking up a few stripped clothes and pants under the indifferent glares of the cashier.

            But the next place we went to sold bedding and lights. I didn’t really want any lights, though, but there were quite a few nice looking comforters here.

            “So Sasha, is there anything here you might need?” Brio asked, holding her paws out so that Gaster can hand me over, which he begrudgingly did.

            “I just thought that a different comforter would be a good idea, considering my fur is white and the comforter is basically black.” I said quietly, starting to feel the heavy weight of glares on my back. Rude ass people, damn. But if Brio even noticed the glares she didn’t say anything. But Gaster and Papyrus looked… sharper with every passing minute.

            “Then we should get a lighter blanket! What about this one? It has race cars on it!” Sans asked, pointing to a white comforter set with tiny red race cars on it. I snickered lightly.

            “No… I was thinking light blue. Like that one.” I said, pointing at a discounted quilt. It was a baby blue with soft purple tulips over it. It was nice. Sans grabbed the quilt and raced over to the register.

            “Mission accomplished!” Sans declared as Brio paid for the quilt.

            “We’ve been shopping for a few hours now. Why don’t you take Sasha over to the food court, Sans? Papyrus? I need to pick up a few things with Gaster.” Brio said, handing me over to Papyrus. He easily shifted me in his grip and nodded.

            “ _Shirt_ thing, Brio. C’mon Sans. I saw a pretzel stand that’s got me in _knots_.” Papyrus said easily, causing Sans to puff out his cheeks in anger.

            “Pa-pyrus!” He shrieked, stomping after Papyrus. I giggled a little and clutched Barry closer to my chest as I leaned into Papyrus. If I doubted that Papyrus knew about the glares, I would have had any disbelief dispelled as he tensed every time someone got too close. It occurred to me then why I was being carried at all times. The mall was absolutely filled with humans, any of which might be insanely racist against Monsters, and as a child I had the least defense of them all. So, they weren’t taking any chances that I would be alone at any time. I felt… warm at that.

            Sans dashed over and ordered pretzels from a very unimpressed cashier for Papyrus and I as we got a seat. I looked around carefully trying to sort the large amount of noise, sights, and smells I was registering. It was dizzying. I almost didn’t notice the group of glaring teens smirking grimly across the food court at us. But I did and a cold feeling ran down my spine. Papyrus noticed and looked down in concern, following my line of sight and setting his jaw in a firm and tense line. He carefully rubbed my head.

            “Don’t lose your _head_ , Sasha. They won’t anything in public.” Papyrus said lowly as Sans bounded back over with pretzels and drinks.

            “I have arrived with food and drinks, brother!” Sans said, handing us our pretzels and drinks. I couldn’t help but stare at the pretzel I was handed. It was bigger than my head.

            “Getting quite the _eye_ -full, aren’t you?” Papyrus teased before covering his pretzel in honey. I smiled and bit down into the soft dough. It tasted amazing! I almost didn’t notice how quickly the pretzel disappeared. I looked down at my paws and frowned. They were covered in grease.

            “Hmm… this is quite a predicament, Sasha, but I believe there was a bathroom over there! Here, I will escort you!” Sans declared. Papyrus finished his pretzel and stood up to throw away the trash and carry me. We followed Sans and encountered an unexpected issue. There wasn’t an agender bathroom. Just a men’s and women’s bathroom. Sans shuffled on his feet uncertainly, “Oh… Uhm, well, I suppose I can get a wet paper towel from the men’s room and—“

            “It’s fine. I can go by myself in the women’s restroom.” I said, trying to get Papyrus to put me down. His arms tightened around me.

            “You’re not going alone, kit.” I huffed and rested my head against his shoulder, “As a monster kid, you’re considered agender, so we’ll all wash our hands in the men’s room and get out of there. Alright?” Papyrus asked. I huffed but nodded my head. I understood his reasoning. Legally, I was agender until I no longer wore stripes. But Sans and Papyrus were grown and registered as male, which meant they weren’t allowed to go into the ladies restroom. Sans led the way and we walked into the surprisingly clean restroom. Papyrus set me down on the counter and washed his own hands alongside Sans. The same group of suspicious teens walked into the restroom and Papyrus stiffened. I was surprised to note that Sans’ grin seemed strained as the three teens sneered at Sans, Papyrus, and myself.

            “Should just drown the thing while we still can.” One of them muttered before going into the stall. I squeezed Barry and quickly put him in my inventory. I wasn’t risking it with these rude punks. I felt more exposed but Sans quickly stood behind Papyrus as his brother helped me reach the soap and wash my paws. The bathroom was filled with the deafening sound of flushing as the humans left the stalls and shoved Sans to the ground ‘accidentally’ so they could wash their hands. Sans’ skull cracked against the tile floor. I quickly hopped down and moved to Sans’ side.

            “Sans! Are you alri—ITE!” I yelped as the world flipped upside down and a burning fire ran across my back.

            “Fucking gross rat—“ one of the humans sneered before I was suddenly dropped, my head cracking against the floor alongside Sans.

            “Sasha!” Sans cried out, carefully pulling me into his arms, but every touch hurt.

            “You wanna have a **b a d  t I m e?** ” I heard Papyrus ask darkly between heavy pulses of pain.

            “Papyrus!... Let… not worth… asha needs… just let go!” I heard Sans cry from far away, the pain slowly ebbing away. But I kept my eyes closed, the sound and smell alone just too much for me.

\--How does Papyrus feel?—

            Papyrus was pissed, a thick bone attack lodged against the throat of the main offender. Clearly the leader, the human teen seemed to be regretting his decision to knock down his brother and lift Sasha by her tails. He could still see the flashing numbers above Sasha’s curled up form. Distantly, he noted that Sasha’s HP lowered for several moments before settling and DRB remained lower than it was before.

HP: 3.2/7

…

DRB: 15/40

            Sans was desperately trying to convince him to SPARE the humans and he reluctantly knew that it was the best thing to do. He needed to make sure that Brio knew how sensitive Sasha’s tail was to attack. It was also a good thing to keep in mind for Sasha’s eventual training. Reluctantly, he released the human, watching with mild satisfaction as the humans scrambled out of the bathroom. He dismissed his bone attack and looked at Sans. His brother didn’t take any damage, thankfully, but Sasha seemed determined to become a ball of fur in Sans’ arms.

            “…C’mon. I think it’s time to leave.” Papyrus said. Thankfully, Brio and his old man finished their business and was only too happy to leave the mall. Wordlessly, Sans handed Sasha over to Brio and they agreed to discuss what happened in the minivan.

\--Now Brio!—

            Brio held the trembling ball of fur against her chest as they sat in the minivan for several long moments.

            “What happened?” Gaster asked, his eyes sparking with magic dangerously. Papyrus seemed to be sneering out the window.

            “We went to the bathroom to wash our hands and these teens knocked Sans down. Sasha went to check on him and one of the teens lifted them up by their tails before I made them drop Sasha… And they’ve been like this since. I think the tails are a lot more sensitive than we previously thought.” Papyrus said. Sans whined lowly.

            “…Will Sasha be okay?” He asked. Gaster looked back at Sans and smiled softly.

            “I’m sure Sasha will be fine. In the old lore, a Kitsune’s tail was the source of their power. There might be some truth to that.” Gaster suggested lightly as Brio gently nuzzled Sasha. Slowly, Sasha relaxed and reached out to Brio’s shirt, gripping the fabric and breathing hard. Sasha’s face pressed into Brio’s shoulder.

            “…sorry, mom. Everything hurt… was too loud… too much…” Sasha whispered thickly and Brio gently massaged Sasha’s back. Brio felt a pulse in her Soul… Sasha… She called her mom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra long, just for you guys! And I am so tired now... I better go before my computer explodes or something, I've been on it for quite some time typing this up.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, feel free to comment, request, or recommend!


	22. I'm Terrible. In Other News, Plot and Lies!

            Slowly, like ice melting, the tension drained away from the minivan. I had Barry in my arms again and rested against Brio’s chest. A cheerful tune seeped through her fur and comforted me. It no longer hurt to exist but my senses were still overactive. Sans started to chatter once more, but his tone was thankfully subdued.

            “Did you manage to pick up your items, Brio? Dad?” Sans asked.

            “Yes, we did. I’d been meaning to buy a camera and Brio wanted to start a scrapbook.” Gaster said softly.

            “…Why did you need to go to a mall?” I asked, “Aren’t there… electronic stores or something?” I adjusted to look over at Gaster as he drove. He glanced at me and smiled, happy that I was doing better, I suppose.

            “Well, besides a few rare exceptions, Monsters don’t have the ability to sell a lot of items. Our neighborhoods are considered high risk for delivery trucks. In fact, besides Muffet’s Parlor, there isn’t a store in the Monster districts that sells fresh produce, and that’s partly because she hired a family of Vegetoids. We also can’t just make a lot of things ourselves. In the underground, we didn’t have the resources to build a lot of things. Mostly just water filtration and the Core, which powered the underground. You know, immediate health concerns. We never had the freedom to look into how to make our own paper or books, relying mostly on the trash that found its way down into waterfall. And the human industries are doing their best to block us at every turn.” Gaster said. I frowned.

            “What about the M-Pads?” I asked. Sans answered this time.

            “As Royal Scientist, Dr. Undyne has special privilege for resources. She also has problems getting funding, so there’s another reason that she has more freedom to invent.” Sans supplied. _Politics_. At least my senses finally chilled and the burning pain was now more like a mildly warm friction across my spine. But the events in the mall practically wiped me out. I really hope that my tails won’t always be so sensitive. It doesn’t sound like a good idea to have an Achilles heel, and _then make more for the hell of it_.

\--Nap time!—

            F.D. was standing outside Brio’s shop when Gaster pulled his ridiculous minivan into the parking space. At first, when he saw Brio carrying the sleeping kit, he thought it was cute. But then he saw how tense the skeletons were. Papyrus and Sans especially. He couldn’t recall the last time he saw Gaster _mad_ , let alone his cheerful and easy going sons. But they were, their gaze shifting around, as though they were daring the world to throw trouble their way.

            “Hey, Brio. Something wrong?” He asked. Brio pursed her lips and frowned.

            “Trouble at the mall.” Was all she replied. F.D. frowned. He never thought to suggest patrols around the mall. Too dangerous. No Monster ever went alone there anyhow, “What are you doing loitering about anyhow?” Brio asked.

            “Captain Alphys sent out an alert. We’re on curfew and no Monster is allowed on the streets without a partner. For every child, there is to be an extra adult Monster to protect them. Something bad is brewing. I can almost smell it.” F.D. said, taking a light sniff. His nose wasn’t as strong as his distant cousins, Dogamy and Dogaressa, but he wasn’t a slouch. He almost sneezed at the slightly cloying and… _dusty_ iron scent. It smelled… old but fresh? No, like the _dust_ was old, but the _iron_ was fresh. The odd scent was almost drowned out in Brio’s and the skeleton families’ familiar scent. They smelled like sweet dough and chalk respectively. He’d yet to actually take in Sasha’s scent, now that he thought about it…

            “Alright. I didn’t plan on going anywhere today. You four sticking around?” Brio asked to F.D. and the skeletons. Each one nodded. F.D. wanted to know more about the ‘trouble’ and the skeletons weren’t going anywhere for a while. Brio nodded and unlocked her shop, “Come on in.”

\--Meanwhile, elsewhere.—

            _Another prey is put into my cage._

            “W-Where am I? Oh! Y-You’re hurt! Let me h-help!”

_It trembles so… **sweetly**._

_Pain burns everywhere, but the violent shredding of prey dulls the feeling._

“W-Wait! I-I only want to help—“

_I can feel it now._

_Such strength._

            “…The subject appears to be… _changing_.”

_Such power._

_I have become a **hunter**. Soon, I shall be free._

_Soon…_

_I will **feast**_.

\--Back to Sasha!—

            _“Kit… I cannot contact you as frequently as I’d like to; to explain the intricacies of the Kitsune way. The_ impurities _are blocking me. I’m sending an…_ ally _to assist in your growth… Perhaps when you are stronger, we can talk again.”_ I heard distantly as the darkness churned. My dreams were filled with an abstract movement of some strange substance. Like mud or fine sand watered down.

\--This should be fun.—

            I was so warm, a heavy blanket covering me as I curled around Barry. I almost didn’t want to wake up, the contents of my dream too fuzzy to recall or to make me want to be awake. I just felt… a general sense of unease. Suddenly, it hit me. The mall. Those pricks. _I called Brio ‘mom’_. My face burned as I buried myself deeper into the covers. _Son of a bitch! Why did I do that?!_ It was rather embarrassing, all around. But I doubt I can just hide away for the rest of forever. _Eventually_ , I’ll have to leave the blankets behind. With a groan, I slid out of bed and stumbled out of my room, idly noting that my comforter had been changed.

            In the living room was Brio, chatting with Gaster and F.D. Sans and Papyrus were listening to the conversation quietly. Brio’s ears twitched and she turned towards me.

            “Oh, Sasha! You’re awake now. Come over here and have a Cinna-Bunny.” Brio said, offering from a plate of freshly baked Cinna-Bunnies that sat on the table. I moved across the room and took a bite out of a Cinna-Bunny, everyone else seeming to relax once I did. I guess they were really concerned.

            “I gathered a few worksheets, just a little something to test the waters, so to speak, while you were resting. Hopefully, I’ll have something more comprehensive next week so I can figure out where your education is.” Gaster said, “I used to homeschool my boys when they were younger.” He explained at my curious glance.

            “Oh… I guess I’ll just… get on that.” I said, looking at the modest pile of papers on the table with a pencil. The first page looked rather simple, but I imagine the later pages would get increasingly more difficult. Not much of a point in testing my abilities problems all on the same level. I dragged a footstool, that I didn’t notice it was there before, and sat down so I could ploy through the questions. The whole time I was practically hyper aware of the occasional, but nonetheless continuous glances I was receiving. Most of it seemed to be math and science, the first four pages out of ten being below sixth grade material. I quickly tuned out their conversations and set to work.

            I was careful, though I’m not sure why, to go relatively fast at first and then rapidly slow down, like I was hitting the walls of my abilities around page eight. Taking a few moments every other problem or so to fiddle with my pencil. I had practiced mediocrity for years, the habits ingrained inside me as I idly scratched Barry’s head. The end result would show that I was competent at everything below tenth grade, the final two years exceedingly shaky ground. When I was done, I felt something inside me relax. Years of practice didn’t make it any less stressful to lie so thoroughly.

\--Bone bros.—

            Oddly enough, it was Sans that noticed it first. Sasha was concentrated wholly on the papers in front of her, answering the questions with a good pace and then, quite suddenly, slowing down. That was when it started. Her ears began to twitch. Both of them. They were almost parallel with the ground after sleeping, but now they seemed to twitch from pointed backwards, forwards, and briefly all the way up. Even her tails seemed restless, suddenly jerking from their stationary positions, almost in time with her ears. He glanced at Papyrus who seemed to be watching Sasha closely as well.

            They grew up around the guards in Snowdin, almost all of them dogs. Nine times out of ten, they had tells associated with their ears and tails. Sasha wasn’t a dog, of course, but the fox was a close relative. They’d seen her happy, energetic, tired, uncertain, and depressed. Leaving very few options, one of which was frustration, an understandable emotion when doing homework. But this wasn’t frustration either. No, there would be more growls, her body would be tenser. At the same moment, Sans and Papyrus looked at each other and knew. They both thought she was lying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I feel bad. Part of the delay was that I'm so TIRED all the time! I ran out of multi-vitamins that had B-12 in them, which offset my shitty sleeping schedule and helped me actually WANT to be awake. Not sure if it's because i'm broke or just tired all the time, but I've been eating less too, so THAT'S not going to help anything. I literally didn't want to be awake, let alone write. Bleh. But, here's a new chapter, so I guess that's good. Feeling a little blurry and numb in my skull, but it might just be my shitty diet too.
> 
> Please do tell me if you see a drop in quality. It's a little difficult to tell sometimes.
> 
> Oh, I might also have a short story published in my college's writing magazine, so that's cool! It's based off of an idea I had originally thought of for a UF, US, UT royal thing with an OC who was massively toxic/poisonous, but I adapted it to just demons and marked out US and UT. Kept my UF Papyrus attitude and slight design though. I kind of want to flesh it out into an actual story I can publish, but considering my motivation is shit... well, I guess we'll just wait and see on that. I also made a poem for my creative writing class about realizing I was asexual (though later I realized that Demisexual/Demiromantic was actually what I am, though it is under the 'umbrella' of asexuality) that my friend wanted me to submit but I never got around to it. Mostly because it vaguely mentioned the dude that was trying to romance me and I wasn't sure if he still went to this college or if he graduated. I just didn't feel comfortable potentially publishing a poem that A) didn't involve just me and B)didn't reflect my actual and current chosen orientation. I hear enough about the shit demi people get on the internet and have no desire for the attention, namely negative, that it would likely bring to myself in real life. But whatever.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and feel free to comment, request, or recommend anything. I am open to short little 'one-shot' stories if the premise interests me enough. Now, i'm going to see if I can actually eat something substantial, shower, and then go to sleep.


	23. Mweh! You're on Fire! (Pt. 1)

            Dr. Undyne’s office hadn’t changed in the slightest. It was time for my first check-up after leaving the hospital. Dr. Undyne took a few moments to marvel over my new tail.

            “You mean you just… grew a new tail?” She asked curiously.

            “Well, apparently I got a new tail for partially remembering… _that_ time. And I’ll get another whenever I… do something impressive or master my skills, I guess.” I said, sitting down in the large chair so she could scan my Soul again.

            The image was sharper this time, my Soul clear and distinct. Dr. Undyne hummed in thought as she looked over the printed results.

            “Well, this is rather impressive. Here, take a look.” She handed me the results.

LV: 5

EXP: 0

ATK: 30

DEF: 10

DRB: 45

HP: 10

MP: 20

            “Wow… everything increased but… why? It’s only been a week.” I asked. Dr. Undyne shrugged.

            “Probably has something to do with your new tail. Brio told me about the mall incident and I think I know why you took so much damage.” Dr. Undyne began, briefly glancing at Brio before continuing, “Intent is everything for Monsters. Your tails might be more sensitive, but you weren’t prepared for an attack, and the human was all too willing to hurt you. As you grow older and train, you’ll find that the amount of damage you take can largely be dependent, not only on your opponent, but on yourself. Speaking of, you’ve developed faster than I thought possible. I’ll clear you for light training and confrontation for the time being. I imagine Sans will be thrilled. He enjoys training kids.” She said with a smile. Yeah, I imagine he would enjoy spending his vast amount of energy on training kids.

            “Okay.” I said, kicking my feet lightly. I had been getting rather jittery as of late, which I understood now that I knew that most of my stats had nearly doubled, but I was still rather young. It was actually kind of embarrassing that, more than half the time, it was my fidgeting that tired me out before I could actually do anything remotely exhausting. I kind of hope that, with Sans’ help, I can train myself to be more active.

\--Cue immediate regret.—

            Worst. Hope. Ever.

            Sans was a _maniacal machine_. He knew no Mercy. Oh, he started out innocent enough. Standing across the backyard of his house with Papyrus and Gaster watching on in amusement.

            “Sasha! I shall introduce you to the basic battle mechanics now, prepare yourself!” He declared, bold as brass. And that’s when the world flickered like a dying lightbulb, plunging me into darkness with only Sans visible. An odd tune began to play, a low jaunty beat with high-middle range notes playfully dancing a two step up and down a small but limited scale, “Mweh! What you are hearing now is my Soul Music, Sasha! What music plays depends on who dominates the battle field, currently, I hold the advantage as the ‘confronter’ and as the, in general, stronger monster. When we begin, it will change, as this particular tune is my ‘casual’ music. Do not be alarmed. Any questions before we begin?” I glanced around the void, trying desperately to ignore the video game screen that seemed to be just underneath my center line of view.

**Sans is going to train you! Pay attention!**

            “Yeah… what happened to the background? Where are Papyrus and Mr. Gaster?” I asked, feeling a little unnerved that I couldn’t actually feel the ground beneath my feet or gravity pulling me in any specific direction.

            “Mweh-heh! You see, this is what is called ‘the confrontation zone’. Very little ever changes about it from one confrontation to the next, so you need not worry about that.” _Oh how nice,_ “—The wish to battle, or ‘confront’, creates a special space with magic! This enables opponents to battle without affecting their actual environment. You may move in any direction at the moment, as this is technically not an actual location. In fact, you should see a text box somewhere in front of you, reading the words I am saying!” Sans bounced a little and I just realized I couldn’t see any color either, “It’s a little odd, but the ‘action box’ is where things are noted, such as my words or, if you were human, your Soul would move around to avoid damage. _Beneath_ that are your options. You should see four options! Besides the words and within the text box is a little white and ‘upside-down’ heart! That’s you, sort of. A Monster’s body is the form of their Soul, basically, wrapped in magic and happy thoughts!” I examined the very video-game-esque view and was slightly unnerved once again. I could choose between four options and my own name and health on top of them.

**Sasha Snowdin                                              HP: 10/10**

**[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [MERCY]**

            “Uhm… okay. W-What do I do?” I asked, feeling more uncertain about this by the second. Sans’ expression flickered before he grinned happily again.

            “Worry not, Sasha! It is unlikely you will be pulled into a confrontation any time soon beyond training. This is just to introduce you to a ‘confrontation’ and teach you about different types of magic!” Sans snapped his fingers and a single white bone hovered between us, “Behold! Mweh, it is my basic attack! A bone! You may have noticed that you can’t see colors here, but fear not, this ‘confrontation zone’ only allows _magic colors_ to shine! Our bodies and clothes do not count! A basic attack, that deals damage upon contact, is always white!” Sans snapped his fingers again and the bone disappeared, replaced instead by gray bones forming the word ‘MWEH’ before me.

            “Gray? What do… _gray_ attacks do?”

            “MWEH! Nothing! They don’t do anything and are usually for spelling messages rather than an actual attack.” Oh. Okay.

            “What else is there?” Sans’ grin seemed to sharpen.

**You feel like you made a mistake.**

            “Mweh! I am glad you asked!” Sans declared, a bright neon blue bone popping into existence before me, “This color indicates a magic attack that cannot hurt you _if you are not moving_. So, like a stop sign, only, instead of red, you need to remember that it is _blue_! I will send it to you, to demonstrate what this attack feels like passing through you. As the color may indicate, it feels quite chilly, so do not be alarmed.” He said, the blue attack slowly moving towards me. Well, this wasn’t nerve wracking or anything. When it was a short three feet away from me it suddenly sped up and shot through my chest, an icy feeling spreading through me as my form was saturated with a blue tint, the pads of my feet suddenly pressing against something solid as gravity gently pushed me down. Suddenly, the music picked up, the beat getting heavy and the notes a higher pitch as well as faster.

            “W-What the?” I was surprised my HP didn’t decrease.

            “MWEH! This is my attack! You’re _blue_ now!” Sans proclaimed, having the decency to look at least a little sheepish, “Sometimes, a Monster has enough control of their magic to put a little extra in an attack and create an ‘effect’ on their opponent. This shade of blue gives me control of your gravity! I’m partial to just keeping it simple, but my brother tends to change the gravity to other directions when he fights seriously. You have learned your first practical lesson! Any and every attack is to be treated with suspicion!” I narrowed my eyes at him.

**Somehow, you feel betrayed.**

            “Well, that’s nice, but what about my options?” Sans hopped in excitement again.

            “Well, at the moment, I’m not sure if you can summon magic attacks. It is likely that, if you chose [FIGHT] then you’d find yourself _physically_ moving to attack me. Since your ATK is rather formidable at its current level, let’s hold off on that for now.” Sans said nervously, “The key to summoning a magic attack is the same key to controlling your stats in battle. Intent. Monsters are sensitive to intent, so much that, when confronted with _pure intent to kill_ , Monsters have been known to find their stats _lower_ than intended. I can control my intent to where, regardless of how many attacks I hit you with, you won’t lose a single HP! Which is why I’m training you first!” I frowned.

            “But don’t I need to be older to actually use magic?” I asked. Sans rolled his wrist in thought.

            “Well, in short? Yes. But only reliably. With age comes emotional control, after all! But you may have a shortcut due to your special circumstance. Not to mention the fact that you seem to hold non-Monster abilities, such as when you looked like Papyrus. There is a chance that you must wait for Monster magic, but _Kitsune_ magic might come easier. Why don’t you try and see what [ACT] does?” Sans suggested. I looked down at my options and hesitantly ‘clicked’ [ACT].

***Check                       *Ask**

***Fox Fire?**

The fuck is ‘Fox Fire’?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, to find the particular songs I was referring to, simply go onto youtube and search 'Mweh heh heh' on 'sans the skele'('s) channel as well as his 'UNDERSWAP Passive Megalovania'. No need for the extended versions. I just really like the idea that it's still Sans' music notes, but played to the tune of UT!Papyrus' stuff. US!Papyrus would be the opposite, with his song 'papyrus' sounding like an odd Grillby's remix of Nyeh heh heh and his Bonetrousle song being the same notes but all electric sounding and to the tune of Megalovania.
> 
> I already said what Sasha's music was quite a few chapters back in a beginning chapter note, but if you guys find a better 'music box motif' song, go ahead and throw it my way. Particularly if it's for the battle music, as I like the general message, but it doesn't quite hit Sasha's potential in a fight. Or maybe the song with change as she learns how to fight and be her new self? Who knows?
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, please feel free to comment, request, or recommend! It FUELS MY DETERMINATION!


	24. Mweh! You're on Fire! (Pt. 2)

            Choosing ‘Fox Fire’ was… not very well thought out on my part. Ghostly blue flames licked over my paws and danced around my feet and tails. The blue tint over my body was no longer present and neither was my sense simulated of gravity.

**Skill unlocked!**

**Fox Fire (1/4): This ghostly blue flame is the most basic magic of the Kitsune. The only limit of this spectral flame is your power! Currently breaks magic effects for 2 turns and adds +5 DF. -5 MP per use. Cool down of one turn.**

**When training under a tutor, this skill’s MP cost and cool down are halved!**

**To unlock Fox Fire (2/4) just successfully defend yourself—not take damage or dodge an attack—from a magic attack with Fox Fire three times in a row or discover an unconventional use of Fox Fire in battle!**

            Well… That’s interesting. But how would I defend myself if dodging doesn’t count? Does it do anything besides break magic effects?

            “Mweh! Sasha, you’re on fire!” Sans marveled before grinning sharply, “Looks like you’re ready for the next level! My attacks with only take 1 HP from now on, Sasha! Let’s see how far you can go!” Sans snapped his gloved fingers and a row of bones appeared, quickly spiraling towards me. With a yelp, I threw myself out of the way, a bone just barely missing my foot. The short attack stopped and it was my turn. This time, I decided to see what I was dealing with.

**You *Check Sans out.**

            Okay. Not the best way to phrase that…

**Sans the Skeleton—ATK 1 DEF 5**

**Likes to help and says ‘Mweh’.**

**He noticed you *Checked him out, but decided not to mention it.**

            “Okay then… Ignoring that.” I could see why Sans was a little nervous about my attack. Hopefully, one day, I’ll be able to control it and he won’t be so nervous. Not that he shows that very well.

            “Mweh!” Sans declared, “One of the most important things you can learn, is how to dodge! Most Monsters feel… _odd_ trying to move in this space and never properly learn dodging. But on the surface, you can’t risk it! So you should dedicate yourself to learning this invaluable skill from the Magnificent Sans!” Ah… well I should probably learn dodging before trying to unlock the next level of Fox Fire. Sans lifted his hand again and several more bones appeared, all white thankfully. On some unseen signal, they flew forward and I found myself gracelessly trying to dodge them all. Mostly, I just flailed around, but one bone did clock me on my face.

**Sasha Snowdin                      HP: 9/10**

**Fox Fire died out! Cool down in effect for one turn!**

            “Ow! Son of a…” I muttered, rubbing my face to get rid of the, admittedly mild, sting, feeling the ghostly flame flicker out as gravity was reinforced on me through a blue tint. At least dodging will be a little easier. It was probably why Sans tricked me in the first place.

**You decide to *Ask!**

            “Sans, did you use blue magic to make it easier for me to dodge?” Sans eyes flickered into stars as he nodded.

            “Indeed, Sasha! I am glad you trust me so! Once you manage to dodge like this, it will be easier to dodge in the zero-g of the confrontation zone! Remember, in here, as well as out of here, intent is everything! You have to _mean it_.” Sans declared before snapping his fingers. A neat row of bones appeared, “One way to dodge as you are now is to simply jump! Sometimes, you won’t have time to make it past an attack any other way or your opponent has insured that it is impossible, like I have now.” Yeah, I don’t fancy my chances trying to go around that long wall of bones. The wall of bones moved toward me at a steady speed and I managed to jump over them, though I nearly stumbled when gravity brought me back down again. Three more times he sent a wall of bones at me, giving me plenty of time to brace myself and jump, which I appreciated. By the third time, I wasn’t stumbling when I hit the ground. It was odd, I could have sworn that, briefly, while I was jumping, gravity let go only to come back to pull me down again. It was my turn again. I wonder is Sans would know what to do with my Fox Fire.

**You decide to *Ask**

**If this was a different kind of system, you’d get +5 Wisdom!**

Well, that’s kind of disappointing, but this is complicated enough as it is.

            “Sans, it says that I have to defend myself with Fox Fire three times in a row or find an unconventional use to level up Fox Fire two-out-of-four. Do you have any ideas?” Sans paused, thinking it over, tapping his right foot to his own music. What a nerd.

            “Well… I might have to think on it a little longer, how did the box describe Fox Fire?” Sans asked.

            “As the most basic Kitsune skill with only my own power as its limit.” Sans nodded.

            “Well, Sasha, that’s quite the puzzle! If Papyrus were here, he’d probably already have figured it out. So far, I’ve noticed it can _break_ magic effects.” Sans declared with a frustrated expression, “I wonder if it can break anything else. Try and found out in your next turn.” He advised before snapping his fingers, this time creating rows of bones with different heights.

            The first one was very short and kind of easy to hop over, but the next one was quite a bit taller. I had to make a bit of a running jump to make it. He followed this one up with several short walls that were actually quite fast. Now it’s my turn again.

**You use *Fox Fire!**

**Magic effects nullified for two turns!**

I was glad that Sans allowed me a moment to regain my bearings in zero-G. He snapped his fingers and a dancing circle of bones were formed. Slowly, they moved toward me, clearly giving me plenty of time to decide if I should dodge or try something new. I looked at the ethereal dancing flame and flexed my paws, watching the fire intensify in my furry palm. I actually forgot what I was supposed to be doing, so when I glanced up to see a white bone a foot away from me, I reacted instinctively and threw my paws up. Flames burst forth and dissolved the bone constructs swiftly, the bones too close to prevent the fire from leaping to the next one, until all the bones were gone.

**Congratulations!**

**Even if it was an accident, you’ve leveled up Fox Fire (2/4)!**

**Fox Fire now lasts for 4 turns and keeps a cool down of one turn. Adds +10 Def and costs -5 MP.**

**Current uses: Nullifies magic effects and destroys magic attacks. What else could this flame accomplish?**

**To level up again, simply use in conjunction with another Kitsune ability.**

“Wow…” I whispered hoarsely to myself. That’s really useful. Then… _then I looked at Sans_. His eyes were stars as he jumped in excitement.

            “Wowzers! That’s a handy ability, Sasha!” Sans declared, his expression suddenly dark and Determined, “ _Let’s see what else you can do_.” I glanced down at my options, a nervous sweat building along my spine.

**You chose to *Spare Sans!**

**But the lesson continues.**

**…**

**You feel like you’re in for an _educational time_.**

“Indeed, Sasha! That is how you would normally end a fight! But Sparing only works if your opponent _also_ wishes to Spare _you_. If you are desperate, I would recommend Flee or to Call for help.” Sans added helpfully before grinning, the snap of his gloves particularly sharp, “Prepare yourself, Sasha!”

            But I wasn’t prepared. There was _no way I could have prepared for this_. Bones, both white and light blue, appeared. At first, they floated over to me at a slow speed, making them easy to destroy. But _then_ … _Oh but **then**_ … **_bones everywhere_**. I flung fire like a maniac and ended up doing a fair impression of the human torch, fire bursting off of me in a wide arc. He had to have created _at least a hundred bones_! _In just one attack_!

**Sasha                                      HP: 5/10**

            I guess I didn’t get all of them… thankfully, I wasn’t the only one exhausted by the end of his turn. Sweat was, oddly enough, pouring off of his skull and he actually _looked wilted_.

            “…Mw-heh… I may have… gone a little… overboard!” Sans panted, “C-Captain… Alphys doesn’t really… advocate for… taking it easy! Mwe-heh… You did good, though! L-Let’s just… end this here.” Sans finished breathlessly. I nodded, more than happy to follow his suggestion.

**Exhausted, you both chose to *Spare.**

            I basically collapsed into the ground, fire flickering out of existence as I took in a deep breath. I didn’t have the strength to see if Sans was any better off.

            “I could… use a nap…” I muttered, my eyes snapping open when Gaster lifted me up against his chest. From my position, I could see Papyrus doing the same with his exhausted brother.

            “There, we go, Sasha. You did really well for your first Confrontation. You and Sans should rest while I make lunch and Papyrus supervises from the couch.” Gaster said soothingly, carrying me inside with Papyrus just behind him.

            “I’m a… good teacher…” Sans murmured softly. Papyrus snorted softly and patted Sans’ back.

            “You sure are, bro.” Papyrus said, winking at me. I sighed and drifted off, waking only briefly when Gaster put me down on a pallet in their living room floor next Sans, who was also asleep. Was Papyrus really going to supervise our nap? Heh… sounds like the perfect job.

\--Just imagine a cuddle pile. No wait, you don’t have to.—

            Gaster didn’t actually start making lunch when they laid down Sans and Sasha. He actually decided to call Brio and update her on Sasha’s progress.

            “Oh, Sans got a little excited, but Sasha held up really well.” Gaster said, leaning out the doorway to check on the napping duo… make that trio. Papyrus was stretched out along the couch, snoring softly in time with his brother. Sasha mumbled under her breath and curled against Sans. She must have been too tired to bring out Barry. He must have squealed a little too loud.

            “What? What happened?” Brio asked over the phone, “Do I need to come over there?” she sounded frantic.

            “Oh, no, they’re just so _cute!_ ” Gaster whispered in awe, “I’m going to send you a picture!” Gaster hung up on Brio and quickly snapped several pictures. The best of which he sent to Brio, Dr. Undyne, and Captain Alphys. He would never get over how _cute_ his sons looked! Even after all this time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hah, and that's the last part of the first training bit with Sans! I hope you guys liked it! I had to argue with myself for a bit on how Fox Fire would work, but I think I got it down! Anyway, I wonder what other Kitsune ability Sasha will merge with Fox Fire? Will she gain a new tail when she does? I guess we'll find out!
> 
> Next chapter, oh how excited I am for it! We get to see a new character! Bwahahaha!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to comment, request, or recommend! It fuels my SOUL!


	25. Splintered Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music referenced is "When memories break" creepy music box. Also happens to be Sasha's Genocide Run music until I can find a better music box oriented creepy song. Find it on youtube here: (YouTube site address) watch?v=0ewQiU3q5jM
> 
> Creepy and disturbing material is referenced here. You have been warned.

            The sun set on yet another uneventful day. With curfew in effect, Monsters didn’t really travel after dark anymore. It was… probably for the best. As such, Brio locked up the store and we just… hung out. With nothing better to do, we worked on a large puzzle of a forest path. It was quite nice. We didn’t really need to talk, the atmosphere was very… soothing. I stared down a puzzle piece and considered something that had been bothering me for a while now.

            Should I _really_ call Brio ‘mom’? I knew that I wasn’t going back to my previous life. I had even mostly accepted it but… can I really take that step? Brio cares for me, makes meals, and doesn’t hold me to impossibly high standards. To be honest, she’s definitely a better mom than my human birth mother. But still… to take that step… was I really _ready_?

            A loud crash of shattering glass echoed downstairs and we froze, the comfortable silence instantly becoming a more tense feeling. My sensitive ears could hear it now. Jeering laughter and breaking glass all down the street. I looked at Brio, panic rising in my chest that mirrored the fear spread across her features.

            “Quick, Sasha! _Hide_!” Brio whispered, pushing me towards the kitchen cabinets. I could easily duck into the darkened corners.

            “B-But, Brio! W-What about you?” I whispered back urgently, but she only shook her head. Before she could reply, heavy laughter echoed downstairs as more glass was shattered. A hard pounding echoed in my ear like a bass drum. Brio opened a cabinet as quietly as possible and shoved me inside. Darkness and the sound of a deep thrumming echoed around me as terror crawled down my throat and choked me. I heard Brio’s footsteps go downstairs. She’s confronting them? That’s a horrible idea!

            I tried to move but my vision seemed to be flickering. Failing me. I can’t make out the clean white walls— _But the cabinets aren’t white?_ —and the sound of crying faded in and out.

            “—are you doing?!” a feminine voice cried out. _Must be new… the guards have free reign at night_. But… that’s not… right? Isn’t it? Wet sounds of tearing flesh was muffled by the wall to my right. Another has given into madness… my veins burned, but no more than they always did. _Can’t blame them… going mad is the easiest way out. Once you break, you’re expendable._ Loud jeering laughter echoed, bouncing off the walls and clashed with my sensitive ear drums. _I **hated them all. I wanted out… but with these…** these… no chains?_ A sharp cry of pain echoed— _why does it sound like it’s beneath me?—_ and I felt like laughing. The guards finally forgot to lock me up. Haha… _what a terrible mistake_. Numbly, I climbed out of a small cabinet— _But wasn’t I in my room?_ —and stumbled towards the stairs. I laughed then, suddenly understanding why the others laughed before cannibalizing themselves. An eternity in hell and suddenly, you’re not there? How delightful!

            I didn’t think madness would look so… domestic though. A puzzle was left unfinished, and briefly, I was tempted to complete it. The games the scientists liked to play were definitely lacking. But the guards were laughing, tormenting an innocent soul downstairs, so I couldn’t linger. **They needed to be taught some manners** … I felt so small and… furry, but the desire to bite and rend matched me perfectly, so I didn’t think on it too long. I laughed freely then.

            **“Time to play~”**

\--This mental breakdown brought to you by Halloween! Spoopy Scary Fun Time!—

            For weeks they had planned it. A nice little… _protest_. They’d march through the business districts and burn the damn monster stores to the ground! The curfew was… unexpected, but it just meant that there would be fewer fucking _monsters_ interfering. Which was both relieving and disappointing. More than a few members of the raid wanted to see if monsters really turned to dust when they died.

            They split into groups of three, each wearing cheap masks to hide their faces. They just wanted a little bit of fun and the _proper_ authorities would be duty-bound to at least look into the dirty monster’s misfortune. Ace lead his small group into a nice little bakery, taking particular care to smash the windows and all the display cases when a purple rabbit monster bitch came downstairs, demanding to know what they were doing.

            Well, the bitch didn’t see his bat swinging, though it only clipped the side of her head. A loud clatter echoed from upstairs and they all froze, the monster bitch looking horrified. He looked back to his friends, seeing that they were excited too at the small footsteps heading downstairs and they laughed.

            “Y-You’re supposed to _hide_ , Sasha!” The bitch cried out and Ace easily hit her with his bat again. The monster crumpled to the ground and he raised his bat high to finish her off when an icy laugh grew closer. The room felt colder as a small and playful voice sang from half-way down the stairs.

            **“Time to play~”** Ace felt his heart pound, a feeling of dread seeping into his bones. When the monster came into view, he almost laughed. _Almost_. The white fox couldn’t have been more than two and a half feet tall, a baggy stripped sweater indicating it was a monster child. He heard one of his friends choke on laughter, but he must not have been able to see the… _monster’s_ _face_.

            In the dim lighting of the vandalized store, the monster’s green eyes were glowing brightly with a dark purple sclera that leaked what must have been luminous magic smoke. They eyes were heavily lidded with an expression that was just _off_. The monster was clearly _overjoyed_ to be there, but didn’t seem to be _all there_. Two tails swayed hypnotically behind it as the _thing_ giggled. Softly at first, and then quite a bit louder, he heard a slow music box begin to play.

            “W-What the fuck—“ The shadows deepened as glowing purple eyes opened from the darkened corners of the room. From the darkness, shadow creatures slinked into the light like predators on the hunt.

            **“Hehe! How rude… didn’t anyone teach you _manners_?” ** The thing teased but quickly dismissed its own question, **“I guess it doesn’t matter… or rather, _it won’t matter anymore_.”** The shadows _snarled_ and began herding them into the corner. It was hard to tell, but he _thought_ that they looked like foxes. The thing stepped forward and knelt next to the fallen monster bitch. The shadow demons snarled, fire bursting to life around their haunches and fangs.

            “S-Shit! HELP! HELP US!” he shouted, hoping to catch the attention of the other two groups outside. His friends could barely talk, their terror rising from the snarling shadows and his own lack of action.

            **“Oh! Hehe… I leveled up. How _quaint_.”** The thing pet the downed monster idly, **“I _know_ you, don’t I? Oh yes, I think I do. How strange. Now, if only I could remember what to call you… hmm, what a pretty puzzle I’ve found.”** Ace felt relief when footsteps echoed down the street and burst into the store. It was Roran and… Isaac, he thought. They both raised their bats and started towards the shadowy creatures.

            “You son of a bitch!” Roran snarled, slamming his bat down on a shadow creature, only for the creature to burst into dark purple smoke. The thing giggled again and he glanced over to find the thing standing, playfully clinking its tongue at their actions.

            **“Now, now~. That’s not very nice, hehe. I think you need a… _time out_.”** The creatures leapt, their bodies dissipating into black smoke as their world went dark, **“Night, night. Sleep tight. _Don’t let the bed bugs bite…_ ” **Ace felt a scream rip through his throat as he found himself in a dark world, filled with shadows that were practically _writhing_ with inhuman creatures. He swung at anything that got close to him, feeling his arms ring with the force of his blows. Sometimes, a sharp claw would cut through to him, but he never felt like he was being cut. No, it was like he was being hit with a bat.

\--Now to Brio!—

            Her head practically rang with pain, but even that wasn’t enough for her to drown out the sound of a slow music box chiming ominously just above her. Sasha! She gasped, eyes flickering open to find sweet little Sasha laughing over her, poisonous purple magic leaking from her eyes and swirling around them like smoke. Confused, she glanced behind her and was shocked. The humans that had invaded her shop were _clearly mad_.

            They swung their bats in a panic, movements jerky as they sometimes hit their comrades. One even huddled into the ground, whimpering in fear.

            “S-Sasha…?” Brio whispered, almost jumping when Sasha’s head snapped down to look at her, green eyes so bright it almost hurt to look at them. Sasha narrowed her eyes and hummed, quite pleased. If she wasn’t mistaken, it looked like the markings on Sasha’s face were _darker_ , her snout almost entirely black.

            **“Ah… you’ve awoken… but I still haven’t solved the puzzle, my pretty.”** Brio frowned, shakily trying to sit up even as glass cut into her paws, **“What do I call you?”** With a fiery purple paw, Sasha reached out to touch her face.

            “Darling, you’ll just burn her with your magic so wild.” A smooth voice declared from the doorway. Brio looked over to see a pale human with glowing red eyes leaning against the abused wood. Their clothes were entirely dark and their smile glinted with sharp… fangs?

            **“Are you here to harm the innocent?”** Sasha asked lightly, her tone not one that Brio had ever heard before. The stranger laughed.

            “Oh no, my darling! How _crass_ that would be! I’m actually here to teach you. The Lady sent me, now why don’t you be a good dear and release the silly little mortals before they hurt themselves?” The stranger asked, not moving from their spot. Sasha growled darkly, “You’re not yourself, deary. Why, you don’t even know where you are, do you? And, oh _my_ , you can’t even recognize your own _mother_!” Sasha frowned and looked down at Brio. Brio froze, unsure as to what she was supposed to do. The broken music box sound had halted instantly, the silence almost stifling as Sasha looked down in confusion.

            **“…Mother? No, that’s not right… _I call you mom_ …**Mama… **”** Suddenly, all the magic disappeared from the air as Sasha swayed on her feet, eyes no longer glowing or leaking magic as she fell into Brio’s arms with a whimper, “Mmm… Mama… it hurts…” Sasha whispered, clutching her head desperately. Brio didn’t hesitate to cradle Sasha close. When she glanced back up, the stranger was gone and the neighborhood watch was spilling into the shop to contain the confused and battered humans.

            “I-It’s… it’s alright, Sasha…” Brio whispered, realizing that Sasha had used too much magic and her body was paying for it. F.D. stormed over, his paws carefully avoiding the broken glass as he swept the both of them into his arms.

            “I got’cha. C’mon, Brio, Sasha. They got a doctor outside ta help.” F.D. said as he walked out into the street towards a tent, “And I called Gaster ta pick ya up. No one is staying here tonight until the damage is cleared out.” He said, broking no arguments, but Brio wasn’t complaining. She didn’t think she could sleep just upstairs from her broken shop after all that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... yeah. Sasha had a legit PTSD moment. I had originally wanted a different Halloween moment, but I didn't work enough on this story for the actual Halloween time to happen at around the same time as real-world Halloween. So, consider this a Halloween treat until the story goes to actual Halloween.
> 
> Ya know, this is actually based off of The Night of Broken Glass that occurred during the Holocaust in Germany. Only this wasn't sanctioned by official police forces or anything. The 'Ace' dude wasn't aware that the Monsters actually had a legitimate police division and assumed that the police was made up of racist individuals, which it might be, but that's neither here nor there.
> 
> Kind of fascinating to see a small part of what happened while Sasha was kidnapped, huh?
> 
> Anyway, feel free to comment, request, or recommend!


	26. Growing Pains

            Gaster descended upon them the moment he spotted Brio’s tired form, a frantic Sans and unusually worried Papyrus following him.

            “Oh! _Brio_! I came as soon as I could! A-Are you alright?” He asked, blue and orange magic sparking along the rims of his eye sockets. Brio gave him a strained smile, shifting Sasha’s prone form in her arms.

            “You’re sparking, Gaster. Everything’s fine. They’ve already fixed me up and Sasha… she’s passed out. I…” Brio couldn’t find the words. Sasha’s magic was extremely potent for how young she is. In fact, she shouldn’t have been able to use any magic _at all_ just yet. Let alone force her Soul music into reality and… whatever she did to those men. Brio still wasn’t sure.

            “W-What happened?” Sans asked softly, his eyes brimming with bright blue tears as he wrung the hem of his nightshirt between his hands. Papyrus leaned in almost casually, his eyes flaring with orange magic briefly.

            “…Looks like magic exhaustion, bro. But the store isn’t on fire… what did they do?” He asked. Brio shrugged.

            “I… I really don’t know. When I came to, Sasha was… she wasn’t herself. She didn’t recognize me and there was this _stranger_ who seemed to know what was going on…” Brio paused, looking out across the street like the strange human would appear, “And… I’m not sure if they were human.” those fangs. The way they talked and dressed. It was just… really strange to Brio. Gaster sighed and gently helped Brio stand up.

            “It’s been a long night… let’s just go home.” Gaster said as Papyrus helped steady Brio on her other side, each step a shuddering limp from residual damage and pain.

\--Intense shit man.—

            _Everything was so cold. It was getting harder to hold on. My body_ burned _and those… **whispers** had started up again. I didn’t dare mention them, focusing my energy on appearing as out of touch as possible._

I hate this place! I hate being here!

Hey, calm down. No one is happy with this. Just be grateful your _mostly_ whole.

Shut up, Barry! No one asked you!

Don’t worry about him, dear. It’s not your fault… I know that you didn’t ask for this.

            _At least one of the voices was nice. The really angry one spoke more often than not. Occasionally, a different voice would appear, but this_ ‘Barry’ _and_ ‘hissy fit’ _were the most common. I curled up into the corner and tried to get some sleep. Tomorrow would come soon enough…_

_The world wavered like a flickering flame as reality shattered. White walls crumbled, revealing pale gray faces, trapped in the structure imprisoning me, empty and crying out lowly. Everything **burned** as the voices grew louder, overwhelming me in a fury of sound and meaningless noise. **~~WE WANT OUT.~~**_

            I jerked awake with a gasp, burning fire seeming to lick at my insides. I kicked and began screaming, those distant voices growing too close. Overwhelming me with their emotions. Their fury. Their _hate and fear_. Soft paws held me down but the touch was too much for me. Distantly, I heard different kinds of voices than the ones ripping me open. They sounded… worried. But there was nothing I could do as the fire continued to rage through me until, suddenly, it didn’t. And then I was _cold_. So cold inside that a different kind of burn fueled my struggles. It was a blessing when the world went dark.

\--What happened there?—

            Brio had _never_ heard screams like that. They pierced through her being and struck _fear_ in her core. Sasha thrashed against her hold as the skeletons burst into the guest room. Sharp cracks of purple magic sparked along Sasha’s body like static, small splashes of green left in their wake.

            “W-What’s wrong?” Sans cried out, “S-Sasha, it is alright!” but it was no use. It was like Sasha couldn’t hear him as magic leaked from Sasha’s eyes. Then, just as sudden, she stopped thrashing, instead trying to curl into a ball as her fur stood on end. It was as though Sasha was freezing suddenly, purple and green magic washing over her fur as she grew. Brio was actually glad when, moments later, Sasha fell asleep again. Papyrus approached quietly, resting a bony hand on Sasha’s back.

            “…Shit. Whatever they did forced their Soul to mature very fast. Essentially, they just went through a growth spurt…” Papyrus said softly.

            “Language.” Gaster said half-heartedly, “I… suppose we should go back to bed? Hopefully, Sasha will be better in the morning.” Reluctantly, they left, Sans pausing for a moment to press a toothy kiss to Sasha’s head and Brio’s cheek.

            “Mwah! Chara says kisses make things better, though they seemed to be quite red at the time! Sleep well, Brio. Sasha.” Sans declared softly. Brio nodded and laid back down, gently moving Sasha into a more comfortable position. She still seemed quite cold, but the shivers stopped after a time.

\--Well then.—

            Everything _ached_ when I woke up, though I was quite warm. It felt like I did an intense workout regimen for a week straight without stopping. I huffed a little and poked my head out from Brio’s arms. I didn’t recognize the room. What happened? Why was I sleeping with Brio? The last thing I can recall is… putting together a puzzle and… hiding? Did we get bored and decide to play hide and seek? That’s… kind of weird.

            Sunshine poured through the blinds as the clatter of pots and pans drifted into my sensitive ears. Softly, I shook Brio’s shoulder. She gave a light hum but didn’t wake up.

            “Brio… hey, Brio, wake up.” I whispered. A thought drifted in my head and I acted on it, “Hey, mom, wake up.” her eyes fluttered open in confusion. After a moment she suddenly shot up, her arms squeezing me.

            “Sasha! Oh, you’re awake!” She cried.

            “…M-Mom?” I asked, but she only cried a little harder.

            “What were you thinking?! I told you to _hide_!” Brio—no, _mom_ —said thickly, her eyes brimming with tears.

            “What are you talking about? What happened?” She froze, pulling back to look at me seriously.

            “S-Sasha… don’t you remember what happened?”

            “Well… we were doing a puzzle and then… I guess we played hide and seek, cause the last thing I remember is you telling me to hide… so, why are you crying?” I asked. Brio glanced down in confusion.

            “Sasha… we were attacked. Humans broke into the shop. You did… some kind of magic that I’ve never seen before. D-Do you really not remember?” I scrunched up my nose in thought. Briefly, I got flashes of… _something_. Mostly darkness and a fanged grin with a smooth voice.

            “N-Not really. I remember something about darkness and a smooth voice with fangs?” I asked, not sure if I was remembering right. Brio shook her head.

            “Let’s not worry about it right now… you’ve uhm… really grown. About a whole foot, I think. How do you feel?” She asked.

            “Sore.” I responded instantly, looking down to find that, yeah. I really _did_ grow. Most of my height was from my legs now, but my only complaint was that I had just started getting used to my small body. Now I had to start all over again! Brio slid out of bed, refusing to put me down even though I was just a bit big to be carried. I didn’t complain though. Last night sounded stressful as hell. At least I recognized the hallway as the one in the skeleton family’s house. I guess we stayed over?

            It sounded like Sans and Gaster were in the kitchen, Papyrus reclining on the couch half-asleep. He jerked awake when Brio sat down next to him, his gaze almost cutting through me.

            “Hey, kid. How ya feeling?” he asked casually, causing two gasps to echo in the kitchen, Sans and Gaster bursting out see for themselves. What the actual fuck happened last night?

            “Sasha! Did my healing kiss help you recover?” I choked on air as Papyrus and Brio laughed with Gaster chuckling softly.

            “W-What?!” I sputtered after I caught my breath. Sans puffed out his cheeks and posed heroically.

            “Chara told me, the Magnificent Sans, in the greatest of confidence, that kisses heal wounds! Last night, you seemed quite injured, so tell me, did I heal you?” Sans asked dramatically. I was speechless.

            “…Sans… I don’t think kisses actually heal people. It just makes small children feel better after minor injuries. Like skinning their knees or running into something.” I deadpanned. Sans almost literally deflated, setting off Papyrus with another round of laughter. These guys are _so weird_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, it hasn't happened yet, but i'd like to reassure everyone that Sasha did /not/ kill anyone. I realize that the way she phrased it made it sound like she gained LOVE. But no, she was referring to Fox Fire. In the next chapter or so, we'll discover what the requirements for completion are and maybe eventually get Sasha in a school. *shrugs* who knows?
> 
> As always, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to comment, request, or recommendation.


	27. Well, That Bites.

            Besides being… well, _fawned_ over, for most of the day, I was deemed to have recovered enough later that evening by Papyrus to work on training a little more. Brio wasn’t _particularly_ happy to have to put me down, but she dealt with it and worried ceaselessly from the porch as Sans bounced in excitement across from me.

            “Today, we will brush up on dodging and see if we can make some more progress on your Fox Fire! Are you ready?” Sans asked. I nodded and suddenly the world was black. Sans’ battle music was already playing softly in the background, but my attention was on the notice before me.

**During a time of turmoil, you pulled through and unlocked Fox Fire (3/4)!**

**For as long as you have the MP and willpower, this fire shall burn!**

**-5MP per turn Fox Fire is in use.**

**To complete Fox Fire, discover a flame of a different kind.**

**!**

**You have a new skill!**

**Illusions!**

**But without proper Kitsune training, you can’t use it just yet.**

            “Okay then… Hey, Sans! Looks like I unlocked the next part last night! It says that I need to ‘discover a flame of a different kind’ to complete it.” Sans frowned.

            “That is quite puzzling! Any other changes?” Sans asked, idly making a few bones and spinning them.

            “Yeah, I have a new skill, illusions, but I need ‘proper Kitsune training’ to use it.” Sans sighed.

            “Well, I suppose there’s nothing for it. Let’s just work on dodging, like we originally planned!” Sans exclaimed, his battle music picking up as he threw bones at me. I kept on getting my feet hit, the new growth throwing off my skills from our previous session. But minor pain is a great teacher and, eventually, I managed to learn how to tuck my feet out of the way before I got hit. It was my turn now, should I use Fox Fire? I scratched my scalp, aware of the tingling feeling along my brow. Probably should. How else was I going to master it completely? Ghostly flame surrounded me, playfully winding around my legs and paws. Sans grinned. A cold shill swept down my back, but I was ready. I think.

            The short of it is that Sans, in all his hyper-active glory, does. Not. Fuck. Around. It was a mad scramble to either not get hit or destroy the attacks before they could approach me. I like to think I did reasonably well.

**Sasha                                      HP: 2/10**

            Well shit.

            “I-I think… that this… is good enough… for today!” Sans panted.

**Cutting it a little close, you both choose to *Spare.**

            Making a small gurgling sound, I fell backwards and looked into the twilight sky. It felt… well, it felt exhausting for one, but it did also feel quite satisfying to push myself so much. Brio scooped me up and gave a made an odd chittering noise in my ear.

            “Honestly, you should have equipped Barry! Those bonuses aren’t for show you know!” Brio chided me. Over her shoulder I could see Papyrus lift Sans into his arms.

            “You should really cut back, bro. This is getting a bit ridic- _ulna_ -s!” Sans whined and weakly smacked Papyrus’ back.

            “Mweh… but she rises under… pressure… so well!” Sans said faintly. I yawned and closed my eyes, allowing sleep to take over my consciousness.

            “Yeah, but seriously. This is a bit too close.” I heard faintly just as sleep closed in.

\--Night night. Sleep tight. Don’t let the vampire bite.—

            My ears twitched as I woke up, a careless knock echoing at the door. I groaned and stumbled out of Brio’s loose hold, slowly making my way out of the room and down the hall. I paused in the living room, feeling awake enough to realize that this wasn’t my house and I probably shouldn’t try and answer the door. I jumped when a bony hand gently pats my hand. Glancing up, I realize that it’s Gaster. He looked tense, his eye lights almost sparking magic.

            “It’s sweet of you to get up, Sasha, but it’s best to let the adult answer the door.” he said, walking over to the front door and opening it. His back seemed extra stiff as he answered ominously, “May I help you?”

            “Woah there, bone man, I’m here to train the kit. Lady’s request. See, I even have a token of favor from her.” A smooth voice said from the other side of the doorway. Faintly, I could recall a fanged grin and cruel, playful emotions pouring through me. Oh…

            “Well, I’m _certainly_ not about to let in some _human_ after what the kit has been through. Fancy jewelry or not!” Gaster sneered angrily. I moved over so I could see who was at the door. It was an oddly pale guy with a spiky dark hair and what looked like the starting outfit of an angst-filled teen. Baggy jeans, combat boots, and some sort of dark band T-shirt. Ruby red eyes flickered over to me and he grinned, showing off a wickedly sharp canine. I sucked in a surprised breath and the stranger’s scent hit me. Gaster’s house smelled mostly like a mix of different spices, chalk, and smoke mingled with fresh air. But the stranger smelled like blood, new leather, and a dance club, or rather, like copious amounts of _other people’s scents_ and that in general was a little gross.

            “Who are you?” I asked boldly. The stranger winked easily and seemed to slump his shoulders.

            “I’m, like, your new teacher fluff-butt. See, I even got my certification, right here.” He stuck out his tongue were a black pearl rested, “I’m Bartholomew, but _please_ , call me Bart.” He deadpanned.

            “Uhm… hi, Bart. I’m Sasha. I guess.” I said, a sneaking suspicion growing at the back of my mind. Bart smiled and sighed.

            “That’s great, fluff-butt! Now, are you going to invite me in?” it clicked. I gaped at Bart in horror.

            “ _No… no way!_ ” Gaster looked back at me with a worried gaze, “You _can’t_ be what I think you are!” Bart threw me a sharp grin and an amused look.

            “Sasha?” Gaster asked quietly, glaring at Bart.

            “Heh… only one way to find out, huh?” Bart asked. Unable to contain my surprise, I shouted—

            “You’re a _vampire_?!” Bart laughed, “But how? I-I thought that—“

            “Vampires weren’t real? Yeah, well, certain parties needed to go into hiding, and I’m a part of that party. Now, seriously, are you going to invite me in, fluff-butt?” Bart asked. I looked at Gaster pleadingly and he seemed to deflate.

            “…Very well then, I was about to start dinner anyway. You may come in, Bart. Would you like something to drink?” Bart shook his head and walked through the doorway confidently.

            “Nah, I had a bite on the way here.” Bart said, winking at me. I _so_ wanted answers. Bart slumped onto the couch and I sat down next to him just as Papyrus walked in. He froze when he saw Bart and narrowed his eyes.

            “Heya, who’s the new kid?” Papyrus asked.

            “This is Bart, he’s here to teach me… Kitsune things? Yeah, that, and he’s a vampire.” I said, “Wait, why do you have a pearl on your tongue? Did you get to choose where it went? Why didn’t I get to choose?” I asked, looking at Bart for answers. He laughed.

            “Well, fluff-butt, you can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends.” I huffed at his answer but didn’t argue. I guess it made sense. Stiffly, Papyrus sat down, easily pushing me down the couch so he could sit between Bart and myself.

            “Well, _Bart_ , it’s nice to meet you.” Papyrus said, turning so I couldn’t see his expression as he shook Bart’s hand, “I’m Papyrus the Skeleton, now, why do you have such high L—“

            “Sasha!” Brio yelped in panic.

            “Oops. I’m in here, Mom!” I shouted, watching as Brio darted into the living room and scooped me into her arms, “I’m sorry I forgot to tell you I was getting up…” I whispered into her fur. She nuzzled me gently and sighed.

            “It’s alright… I was just being silly.” I gently ran my paw over her fur and shook my head.

            “Nah, you were worried… Oh! Look who came over! Bart the vampire!” I exclaimed in a low whisper. Brio jolted and looked at the couch where Papyrus and Bart were oddly calm.

            “Oh! You’re the strange… well, I guess not really _human_ , that appeared the other night.” Brio said softly. Bart smiled and tilted his head in greeting.

            “It’s a pleasure to officially meet the fluff-butt’s mother. You look well rested.” Bart said, his demeanor changing somehow before reverting back to the lazy teen he was when he walked in. Odd…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! We got a vampire! And man, Sasha is a little nerdy for supernatural Bart, isn't she? Just another part of the puzzle, I guess. But how can he teach her about Kitsune stuff? I guess we'll find out.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Feel free, as always, to comment, request, or recommend!


	28. Adding Things Up

            After a deceptively relaxed dinner, Bart insisted I sit down across from him on the floor with my legs crossed. Papyrus refused to leave the room, choosing instead to lazily glare at Bart while mom anxiously sat beside him.

            “Okay, so, the first thing you should know is that Kitsune created illusions aren’t actually illusions.” I frowned at Bart, “It’s a bit of a misnomer, actually.” I huffed and scratched my brow.

            “Then… they’re… real?” Bart nodded.

            “Yeah, Kitsune have really powerful magic. But, make no mistake, their greatest strength isn’t their magic. It’s their cunning. It must be, because a Kitsune is very heavily damaged if their ‘illusion’ is broken. It’s like… what they make is so real that it _becomes_ real. And having your reality shattered isn’t fun. So, _do not_ use illusions until you know you’ve mastered them.” Bart lectured me harshly.

            “Okay, so… what exactly can Kitsune _do_?” I shook my head, “I mean, I can use this weird fire that breaks _magic_ , and apparently break reality itself, or something like that.” Bart snorted.

            “Well, if I had to be _excruciatingly_ simple about it, Kitsune alter reality. Or at least, the _perception_ of reality. It’s why, despite not being old enough, you could project your Soul music into the world. It’s already _inside_ you, all you had to do was push it out. It also explains how you can transform. It’s always easier to change _your_ reality than someone else’s reality.” Bart stated. Alright. I… guess that makes sense.

            “Okay, how do I… make ‘illusions’ then?” I asked. Bart hummed, drumming his fingers on his kneecaps.

            “Well, the first thing you need is a good sense of environmental awareness. When you cast an illusion, some part of you _must_ consider the details. What does it smell like? What’s the temperature? Wind factor? The stronger of will and mind your victim, the more you need to sell the illusion. The stronger your will over them is, the more you can get away with. Because knowing what they see is an illusion and _breaking_ that illusion are two different things.” Bart declared.

            “That’s kind of… philosophical, I guess.” I commented, taking a moment to try and discern all the inane details around me, my ears flicking wildly. How the room was just on the cold side of room temperature. Papyrus was gritting his teeth and rubbing at his jean pocket, like he wanted to take a smoke break. Mom was a lot calmer, though she still anxiously wrung her paws. Gaster was in the kitchen, washing dishes and humming a tune with Sans helping and harmonizing.

            “Good. You’re taking in what’s already here. That’s really important. I’ve heard of more than a few illusions breaking because they forgot to account for something simple, like temperature. If you want to make an oasis in the desert, not only do you need to get the lukewarm water right, but you also can’t forget the difference between temperature in the shade and outside it. But let’s not worry about that right now. We’ll do something simple. Start with a single sense, and _push_ your will. Change it. Make the room smell like oranges. Change the lighting. Make it sound like a piano is being played nearby. Electricity running free. Something.” Bart coached me softly. My nose twitched, taking in the lingering scent of dinner, Papyrus’ cigarettes, and the distant scent of blood and leather coming from Bart. I didn’t know if I wanted to make sounds or scents, but light should be a good start. But how do I ‘push my will’? I opened my eyes and looked down at my hands.

            Fireflies. I could try for fireflies. That way, if I can’t hold them for long, it won’t matter. Because fireflies flicker anyway. I tried to recall the faint glimmer of pale yellow and green, how they remained briefly outside my window in the summer before disappearing and moving elsewhere. How, a much younger and whimsical self had dreamed of magic. Of a slow moving waltz only those flickers of light could hear. Before crushing expectations bared down over me and destroyed that world of wonder and light. Then I tried _pushing_ outward, not physically, but _emotionally_ , an odd pain settling in my chest to feel that way again. To share a simpler view of the world.

            Distantly, I heard a gasp, but my attention was on the explosion of light around me. Like my palms were a fountain rather than furry paws. Like tiny stars the size of dust motes, they flickered and died. Glimmered and danced around unseen partners to music no one could hear or make sense of. That pain in my chest eased as Bart ruffled my fur.

            “Not bad, fluff-butt. Not bad at all.” he murmured, glancing around in appreciation. I yawned, feeling oddly tired from such a simple task.

            “Alright, I think it’s time for bed. No more illusions for tonight. You’d trained more than enough for one day.” Mom said, scooping me into her arms as the illusions faded. I yawned widely and nodded.

            “Mhm… yeah, I can… see that. Night Bart. Night Papyrus.” I called out, waving blearily to them, “Good night Sans and _Mr. Gaster_!” I called out into the kitchen, giggling weakly when I heard a sputtered protest.

            “Just call me ‘Gaster’, _honestly_!” I heard him whine in the kitchen.

            “Night, fluff-butt. See you tomorrow.” I waved over mom’s shoulder and tried to stay awake long enough to at least brush my teeth.

\--Tada! Time skip!—

            Today was a ‘break’ day. It had been almost a week since the raid in the Monster business district, and Chara was visiting. Apparently, they were worried. Though they did pout when they noticed I was suddenly taller. Not by much, but still. Paper worksheets were scattered on the coffee table.

            “Sorry.” They apologized, “But I still have homework to do.” I shook my head and looked at one of the loose pages. Ew. Calculus… aren’t they a little young for that?

            “No problem. When are they due?” I asked, “And do you go to… like, a school or home schooling?” I imagine it would be a bit difficult for Chara to manage a normal public school. Chara smiled gratefully and scribbled another answer down.

            “Next week. Oh, and home schooling. Mom doesn’t want me to go to a private school, or a public one, and Monsters can’t teach human kids yet. But I hear a Froggit is getting close to certification for pre-school level teaching.” Chara said. I looked at their paper and scowled.

            “Ugh. I hate math. The answer is 357X.” I muttered, sticking my tongue out and flicking a bit of eraser chunk across the table. Chara looked surprised and frowned at the problem.

            “Oh… Can you help me with this next one?” I looked at the question they were referring to. It looks like advanced calculus?

            “Yeah. Here’s a bit of a shortcut… I honestly don’t know why you don’t have a calculator, but whatever.” I said, taking a pencil and sketching out a cheat-chart, “And… you know, this seems a bit advanced for your age group. Just saying.” I commented, scribbling out each step to solve most equations like the one they were struggling on.

            “Wow… you’re pretty good at this.” I snorted and shook my head.

            “Flunked calculus in high school, actually. Never took it again.” It was a close shave but _they_ didn’t care enough by that point to push it. Though I was missing a place setting at the table for a few nights after that report card…

            “Pretty good for someone who flunked.” Chara commented lightly. I glanced sideways at them and winked.

            “It was easier than acing it.” Was all I offered. Chara’s smile seemed a little… forced, but I ignored that. They were almost done with their homework anyway. After filling out two more sheets, they were done.

            “I’m going to get Papyrus to check my work, don’t go anywhere!” Chara declared with a sudden burst of energy.

            “Pft. Where would I go?” I muttered to myself.

\--It’s a trap!—

            “So, did you do it?” Papyrus asked, reclining against his brother’s pristine bed. Sans, for his part, was scowling. Chara nodded and handed over the papers. Papyrus examined the rather comprehensive step-by-step equation solving for someone who, previously, didn’t get a single calculus question right.

            “I do not feel comfortable deceiving Sasha like this!” Sans protested. Chara patted Sans leg and Papyrus idly rubbed his brother’s skull.

            “Yeah, but we were right. Look at this, bro. Every single question they helped the kid with is correct.” Chara stuck out their tongue.

            “It was kind of hard, they’re really good at not giving me the answers, so I actually had to get them to break it down really good.” Chara complained. Papyrus chuckled and ruffled their hair.

            “Hey, you learned a bit of calculus early. These things really _add_ up, as long as you don’t _divide_ your attention from the actual issue.” Papyrus said with a grin, though it quickly faltered, “But in all seriousness, they’re covering their actual potential… Why is that?” Papyrus asked, though he already had a good idea why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, is it kind of late. Hopefully a couple of... 'new' characters will appear in the next chapter, I know some of you have been /dying/ for them to appear, but no promises! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> Feel free to comment, request, or recommend whatever!


	29. Maybe one day...

            I have to admit, this kid has _the worst timing_ ever. Officially, the Monster District has been cleaned up for about a week, but mom and I have only been back for a few days. Things have been… _tense_. Understandably so, but it still doesn’t change the fact that the little girl wondering across the street on the verge of tears has the worst timing ever.

            She can’t be more than eight, blond hair braided down her back and cute jean overalls. For a moment, I consider just ignoring her. Her parents are probably just down the street or something, but then her shoulders start jerking, like she’s seconds away from sobbing. I look back and see mom working hard in the kitchen. She’s been a bit… on edge since the raid. Baking has been helping quite a bit so… she should be fine if I make a quick trip. I’ll even keep Barry out, for the extra benefits to HP and DEF just in case.

            Carefully, I sneak outside and dart across the street. I’m a little miffed that the girl is taller than me by at least a foot. But at least I’m not likely to scare her.

            “Hi! What are you doing out here?” I asked cheerfully with a smile. Tears wobbled down the little girl’s cheeks as she tried to sniffle her way past her emotions.

            “I-I-I’m _lost_!” she wailed, causing me to jolt and look around. The streets were empty, but if she kept it up, they wouldn’t be for long.

            “H-Hey now, it’s alright! Why don’t you come with me, I’m sure my mom could help!” I said cheerfully, holding out my paw. She sniffled and looked at me curiously.

            “You’re a fox…” she stated.

            “Yep! Well… mostly. My mom’s a bunny! She runs a store right across the street!” I said, “Come on, your parents are probably worried sick!” I cajoled her until she finally took my paw. Gently, I lead the way back across the street.

            “…My name’s Jenny.” She said hoarsely.

            “It’s nice to meet you, Jenny! I’m Sasha and this is Barry!” I said, turning so she could see the bear in my arms. She waved cutely and giggled, her eyes now mostly free of tears.

            “He’s a _bear_!” she whispered, as though she was trying not to offend Barry. I smiled and pretended to not get it.

            “Well, yes. Yes, he is.” I said, opening the door before calling out to mom, “Hey, mom! We’ve uhm… got a bit of an issue.” I said. Jenny giggled a little more as mom looked out from the kitchen.

            “What is it—Oh! Uhm… Hello! What bring you here, sweetie?” she asked, leaving the kitchen to kneel closer to Jenny’s eye level. Jenny blushed and looked down.

            “This is Jenny. She’s lost.” I declared. By the face mom made, I knew she understood how… _not good_ this was.

            “Oh dear, uhm… where did you last see your parents, sweetie?” she asked softly.

            “T-They were outside a craft shop with a large ball of yarn in the window.” She said. Mom leaned back a bit and thought hard.

            “Hm… I think I recognize the shop… that’s quite a ways off. At least five blocks away, sweetie. How did you end up here?” she pressed, trying not to upset Jenny.

            “T-There was a kitty with string. I… I chased it until it hid under a dumpster. T-Then I was lost.” Okay then. Mom nodded her head and stood back up.

            “I’ll send F.D. a text so he can walk you back. For now, just stay here with Sasha, alright?” she asked. Jenny nodded and squeezed my paw a little tighter.

            “F.D. is really nice. He’s looks like a Dalmatian but talks like he’s a cowboy. I don’t know why, but he’s pretty cool.” Jenny seemed intrigued by the concept. Score. Slowly, she relaxed, though she ducked her head down like she was embarrassed about something, “What’s wrong?” I asked, tugging her away from the door.

            “It’s just… my dad says bad stuff about monsters all the time.” Jenny let go of my paw and wiped at her face, “About how they came from under the earth to hurt us. How they’d bite me really hard just cause they can. But… you didn’t. Why?” she asked, finally looking up with teary eyes. Oh. So, it’s like that?

            “Well, do you _want_ me to bite you?” I asked, causing Jenny to shake her head, “We’re not that different. I bet you don’t want to bite me either. But if we were being hurt by someone else, we’d react, wouldn’t we?” Jenny nodded her head.

            “…I guess that makes sense but…”

            “You’re still worried?” she nodded, “That’s alright. It’s okay to be worried. Not everyone is nice, like us. But that doesn’t mean we’re out to get you, either. Maybe your dad is just scared. Or really worried. If you look everywhere for danger even your own shadows will give you a scare.” I said, soothing Jenny a little more as she nodded. Adults were weird, after all. So worried over silly little things like scrapped knees and rain. In time, Jenny would understand where her parents were coming from. Why they worried so much (hopefully that’s all her dad was. Racist people seldom kept their anger on one target). Then the bell rang as the door opened, F.D. strolling in casually. He tipped a tan cowboy hat and smiled.

            “Why, hello there, Sasha. And you must be Jenny!” F.D. said with a drawl as he kneeled down to offer a paw. Jenny seemed a bit… _awed_ by F.D. She blushed and shook his paw.

            “What’s ‘F.D.’ stand for?” she murmured.

            “Why, it stands for Fire-Dog, little critter.” Her eyes lit up as she stifled a giggle, “Hey, what’s so funny.” He grumbled good-naturedly but there was a glimmer in his eyes. He knew what the joke was. But Jenny shook her head and refused to answer. I looked out the window and noticed three Monsters that were in Frosty’s place during my first visit. A Husky in coveralls, what appeared to be a lemur in a casual business attire, and velvet pink cat in punk rock attire. Well then… what an odd group.

            “Back up?” I asked, pointing to the odd group hanging outside the front of the store. F.D. nodded.

            “Yeah, can’t be too careful.” He said. I nodded, understanding the sentiment.

            “I’m going with you… for Jenny.” I said. He scrunched his nose and glanced nervously at the kitchen.

            “Er… I’m not sure your mom would appreciate that, Sasha.” But I stood firm, “Uhm… Brio, yer kid wants to go, too.” _Tattle-tale_. Mom looked out from the kitchen. Uh-Oh.

            “Absolutely not, Sasha.”

            “Why can’t she come with?” Jenny asked in a small voice. I smiled sheepishly.

            “Well, Jenny, remember what I said earlier? About how your parents were probably just scared? Well, a lot of adults are right now. And when you’re scared, you sometimes… act without thinking. It’s pretty well known that Monsters are weaker than humans. If someone were to just… _forget_ for one moment well… I wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.” I said, trying not to just say _‘yeah, one bitch slap and I’ll die’_. Jenny was still pretty young after all. But she looked like she understood for the most part.

            “Oh… well, that’s okay then. ‘Cause I like you and I want you to stick around.” Jenny said before turning towards F.D., “Can you take me to my parents now?” He looked almost startled at being addressed.

            “O-Oh, sure thing little bean. C’mon. We’ll swing by after we get back, Brio.” F.D. promised as Jenny took his paw.

“Bye Sasha, stay safe!” And then they left the store and walked back down the street. Mom’s paw closed over my shoulder and squeezed.

            “Sasha… you can’t take risks like that, okay?” she whispered softly. I sighed, suddenly very tired. Mom had been on edge for _so long_ now it seems. I hadn’t minded, at first, but now, _especially now_ , it seemed to grate on me.

            “But it wasn’t a _risk_ , mom. I would have been fine.” I snipped, turning around to face her, a fire seeming to spring to life in my chest.

            “It’s not _safe_! It’s barely safe in the Monster districts for you, let alone where there are _humans_ everywhere.” She insisted, but I didn’t care at that point.

            “But I am human!” I snarled, seconds before a crushing weight fell on me. I didn’t… I didn’t mean to _say_ that. I sucked in a sharp breath and darted up the stairs before mom could recover from her shock. From there, I found refuge in my room, curled around Barry for comfort.

            This was stupid! I felt like an idiot! How long has it been since I woke up as a fox?! _How_ _long_?! And then I go and say something like _that_! To mom! I tried to muffle my sobs in Barry’s soft fur but it only made me feel _worse_! It wasn’t until I was lifted into her lap that I realized that mom was sitting on the bed next to me. She smelled like cinnamon and baked goods, her dull claws scratching along my head and running down my back.

            “…You know, I’ve been waiting for this.” She said after a long moment. I sniffed and looked up in confusion, “For you to finally have a break down. You’ve done remarkably well so far but… these things take time. It took months to stop waking up expecting to see Snowdin outside my door. Cried more than I care to admit, too.” I didn’t want to admit that this wasn’t the first time I’ve cried over more or less the same thing.

            “…M’sorry.”

            “I know… so am I. Too soon and too much.” She apologized. I soaked in the warmth as we sat there for what seemed like a really long time. Moving on was difficult but… it was almost like every time I break down I get back up again just a little bit lighter. Maybe one day I won’t feel the need to cry at my change in species. Maybe, maybe, maybe…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, originally, I planned on Sasha going with them but then Brio was like "HELL NO!" and I can't go against that... eh. Sorry about the long wait, too. This semester I have two reading intensive classes and I work more, so I've been quite a bit less motivated. But my new computer has tempted me to trying out digital art. You can see some of the results (as well as humorous anecdotes from my life) on my Tumblr of the same name for this site! And feel free to ask me stuff on there if you feel more comfortable. Commentary tends to make me work more CX
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter! Feel free to comment, request, or recommend~!


	30. Brio's MVP

            Brio wiped down the counters as Papyrus and Sans strolled in cheerfully.

            “Heya, boys. What brings you here? Sasha’s taking a nap right now.” Brio said casually. Papyrus grinned a little sharply as Sans fidgeted.

            “Brio! We… there is something we think should be brought to your attention!” Sans declared suddenly after several silent moments. Papyrus brushed his phalanges over his brother’s shaking shoulders.

            “Remember when we had Sasha fill out those worksheets to determine her education level?” Brio nodded.

            “Yeah, what about it. Did the results come back?” Papyrus sighed.

            “Wouldn’t matter if they did…” Papyrus answered softly, “She held back.” Brio frowned.

            “What do you mean ‘held back’?” She asked. Sans was the first to respond in a nervous burst of energy.

            “We’re foul friends, Brio! We roped the innocent Chara into fooling Sasha! They pretended that they had homework and needed help! With Sasha helping, Chara completed questions well beyond the level of difficulty her tests suggested she was capable of, as well as beyond Chara’s own ability!” Sans said in what seemed like a single breath, “We suspected something was up because of how she acted during her test! She fidgeted and her tails never stopped moving! While working with the Royal Guard, I noticed that they did the same thing when bluffing at cards!” Sans slumped against the counter with a whimper. Papyrus patted Sans back.

            “It’s okay bro, I’m sure she’ll forgive you.” He consoled his brother gently before looking at Brio, “I’ve got another version of the test so she can try again… assuming she doesn’t hold back.” Brio pursed her lips.

            “I-I… I don’t know why she would… Oh.” Brio mumbled in a troubled tone, thinking back to all the suspicious hints that Sasha’s parents weren’t… the best. Papyrus narrowed his eye sockets.

            “What is it, Brio?”

            “Well… you see… Oh, I don’t know how to put this but…” Brio hummed as she drummed her paws over the counter, “Sasha isn’t an orphan. She had parents as a human but… to put it delicately, they aren’t looking for her. Didn’t even start, really.” Sans gazed up at her in horror.

            “That’s terrible! I mean, I _suspected_ something wasn’t right but…” Sans whispered in a daze.

            “It doesn’t feel great to be proven right… That still doesn’t explain _why_ she held back, but the implications…” Papyrus mused as Sans nodded, “Well, regardless, you need to speak to the kid. It won’t do anyone any favors to have her in a class where she can’t learn anything.” Brio nodded.

            “I’ll talk to her later. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.” Brio said, “Did you need anything else?” She asked, but they shook their heads.

            “Nah, that’s all we needed to talk about. We’ll see you later, Brio. Say hi to the kid for us.” Papyrus said casually.

            “Goodbye, Brio! Have a nice day!” Sans declared as he walked out of the store with his brother.

            “You too, guys.” Brio replied just before the door closed behind them. Brio sighed and rubbed a paw over her face. She didn’t look forward to what would likely be yet another emotionally charged conversation so soon after Sasha’s breakdown. She glanced at the test packet and grimaced. But it looked like it would be necessary soon enough.

\--Meanwhile…--

            He couldn’t take it any longer. Sasha had been gone _for months_. And no one seemed to care! Hell, the only reason half of his social circle knew who he was talking about was because of how feverishly he’d been trying to befriend the icy teen for _years_. Word around town was that she went missing and was swiftly declared dead. He didn’t think he’d seen her parents so cheerful in his life, which was majorly fucked up. It just confirmed his suspicions that Sasha’s parents are at least a very strong reason why she would never associate with him.

            It was _hard_ coming from such an affluent family based in a small town. He was well aware most of his social circle only liked him because of his parents. And the rest had a hard time looking past what he _had_ over _who_ he really was. The only, and he meant the _only_ , person who didn’t give a shit was Sasha. In fact, she refused to have him be manipulated by her parents and avoided him like the plague! And well… it may or may not also be that he was smitten from day one. Maybe he was looking too deeply into it, but it was hard to feel like a prick when an absolute stranger was willing to give up any benefit of knowing him, solely to protect him. And there were quite a few days where he really needed that. It was sad and ironic that the best friend he ever had was the only one that refused to get close to him.

            That’s the reason why he pulled strings with his parents and graduated over the summer. It was a pain do so much homework, but in the end, it was worth it. Now he could finally go looking for the one person he wished could have been his friend. And he knew just where to start. Ebott City, more specifically, the Monster Districts. It was too much of a coincidence that she went missing just before they were officially released to the public. He was done having fake pals and fair-weather friends. If she really was there, with the Monsters, then maybe they could finally be friends. Maybe he could finally not be so alone. Who knows, maybe he’ll make better friends away from the shadow of his family?

\--And now with Sasha.—

            I scowled in the mirror at the ridiculous looking black fuzz sprouting between my ears. It was much more prominent than yesterday. Just one more thing to brush on this ridiculous body of mine, honestly. With a sigh, I left the bathroom and padded into the living room where mom was waiting tensely. She held a packet in her paws.

            “Hey, mom. Did the results come in yet?” She sighed and flopped down onto the couch.

            “Something like that… Sasha, you… you know that I only want the best for you, right?” Brio asked I frowned but nodded.

            “Of course, I mean, I know you… that you care.” I mumbled with some difficulty as I fidgeted. Where was this going?

            “Sans and Papyrus were here earlier and… they told me something.” Brio patted the seat next to her and I obliged, her paw quickly running over my fur in soothing motions, “Please, be honest with me… Sasha, did you hold back on your test?” oh… That’s what this is about. Then… Chara’s homework, it was a set-up, wasn’t it? There wasn’t any shame in being outmaneuvered but… I cleared my suddenly swollen throat with difficulty.

            “I-I… Ehm… Yeah. I did.” I answered, combing my claws, still too sharp for comfort, through the thick fur on my tails. Brio moved to kneel in front of me, earnestly looking into my eyes.

            “Can you tell me why, Sasha?” she asked softly, taking my paws into her own.

            “…Force of habit.” I said, feeling my ears pinned against my skull. I couldn’t look into her eyes suddenly, a familiar feeling of guilt curling in my stomach. It had been years since… my human mom had inspired such a feeling. Brio sighed.

            “…Sasha, sweetheart, please look at me.” I reluctantly glanced up to see a gentle smile, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I’d like for you to try taking the test again. This time, without holding back. Do you think you could do that?” Brio asked softly, her features blurring as tears welled up in my eyes. Gently, she sat back down and pulled me into her lap so I could bury my face into her shoulder.

            “Y-Yeah… I think I could.” I whispered into her shirt.

            “Thank you, sweetheart… lately all I’ve been doing is make you cry. Go ahead and let it out, Sasha. Then, afterwards, we can go visit Frosty’s place for a NiceBurg.” I nodded, sucking in a shuddering breath and letting it go.

            “W-When we get back… m-maybe I could tell you why… if you want.” I offered lamely between small sobs. Brio rubbed my back and hummed.

            “Only if you’re ready, Sasha.” I laughed a little between sobs.

            “…Thank you, mama.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, a little shorter, and it took me way too long to figure out what exactly to write next, but here we are! I super hope i'm handling this shit, I mean, you guys would tell me if i'm not, right?
> 
> Anyway, feel free to comment, request, or recommend. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!


	31. This story is literally 134 pages in Word now... Single Spaced

            I grasped Barry in my arms tightly, nervously checking over my nails which still seemed too sharp. The gentle click of ceramic on the coffee table brought me out of my thoughts. It was hot chocolate served with a gentle smile. My mouth felt so dry. With one hand, I grabbed the warm mug and took a sip, the gentle heat soothing more than just my throat. She sat down across from me and sipped her own drink. She didn’t prompt me or give any indication that she had anything to do but wait for what I had to say. I took in a shuddering breath and began.

            “It… didn’t take me very long to realize that I wasn’t wanted.” I whispered into my mug, my breath disturbing the surface of the chocolate liquid.

\--Depressing story time!--

My parents were on the way up the corporate ladder, you see. They never wanted kids. All their dreams were put aside when my mother realized she was pregnant. In such a small town, they couldn’t give me up for adoption or get an abortion without affecting their reputation. When I was two they could finally dedicate all their time to work, but it was too late. The economy crashed and no one wanted to hire tired parents. They wanted young and hopeful twenty-somethings that would accept being a stooge for a decade before finally getting paid properly. By the time I was five, I knew what it was like to be paraded around like a trophy.

I remember wearing itchy clothes and being asked to endlessly recite meaningless poetry at dinner parties. I was to sit in the corner and only speak when spoken to. I never felt right, like my clothes were lined with dust rather than lace, just waiting for whenever my parents would dust me off before setting me back on the shelf. I tried so hard at first. But I quickly noticed that they only looked at my face when others were around. And never at my eyes. They also avoided touching me unless they had to. That was when I started sabotaging their attempts to show off.

I refused to make friends. I feigned ignorance about the most simple of subjects. I did my level best to be completely useless to them. I was lashing out. Hoping that one day they’d just look me in the eyes. Just once. Later… I would wish they didn’t. When I was eight, they stopped leaving a place for me at the dinner table. They never starved me or denied me food but… somehow I still felt hungry. For years I shoved everyone away, barely passed my subjects, and tried to ignore how every criticism stung when enforced with direct eye contact.

My mother made sure I knew that, when I finally decided to pull my weight, I’d get a table setting again. That she’d treat our house with family photos rather just couple photos and the occasional school picture to prove I did live here. She’d tell me that useless children didn’t need much and should stay out of the way until they made use of themselves. Honestly, I was just glad I never had to wear stiff dressy clothes again…

That day I… we had a fight. Mother wanted me to shape up so she could take me to this fancy ball and show me off. Maybe snag a ‘respectable young man for the family’. I told her there was no point. I was utterly useless, after all. That I was lucky I had enough brain cells to breath and walk at the same time. Turns out, she didn’t like her own words thrown back at her, and she threw back her hand. By the time I reached that street, the mark had faded and it barely stung. You know the rest…

\--Brio’s still MVP.—

Brio sat, frozen stiff in anger and absolute _horror_. Sasha resembled a ball more than anything, her tails curled around her haunches in false-comfort as she stared at her toes. Brio let out a harsh breath and decided, right then and there, that they needed a dining table. And picture frames. It was honestly a wonder that Sasha had made it through her transition with so much emotional damage. She moved forward to pick her up and noticed streams of green and purple leaking from Sasha’s eyes, filling the room with a cocktail of emotions and volatile magic.

During extreme emotional distress, it’s common for creatures to cry with very few exceptions. Humans cry salty tears and Monsters did something similar (assuming they were able). But due to the relationship of magic and emotion in their Souls, Monsters often experienced a heavy wave of additional magic, usually with nowhere to go. So, to get rid of excess magic, a Monster’s eyes will ‘glow’. The best example of this is with skeleton Monsters. They lacked animal instincts in most cases to express themselves. No tails or ears to flick or twitch.

So, skeleton Monsters will ‘glow’ to express severe emotions. The excess magic saturating the air until those feelings are resolved. Another skeleton Monster will ‘glow’ with them, pouring comfort-tainted magic into the air to break up the heavy atmosphere. Other Monsters could do the same, but usually they didn’t need to with so many alternative forms of expression and venting. This was how Brio settled Sasha into her lap again, a gentle purr to fill the silence as she softly pushed green magic from her own eyes. She ran her paws over Sasha’s back as she slowly drained herself of both emotions and magic. When Sasha was soundly asleep Brio stood up and settled them both on the couch.

Brio spent a very long time wondering over how damaging it would be to live through a childhood like that and how small a mercy it was that the abuse never appeared to be physical.

\--Ominous foreshadowing approaching.—

Pack. He _needed_ pack. Proper pack. Not these furless worms that barked at him incessantly. But he had a pack. He could remember it. A mate— _Beautiful smile and dark hair. Brightest laughter. Why did she leave me?_ —and a pup— _so small and fragile. Just as beautiful as her mother. Why did she have to go?_ —but where were they? Not here, in these cold rooms that smell overwhelmingly of blood and dust(that even still did not smell right to his senses).

There were other furless worms here that almost smelled like pack. But they weren’t right. Not quite. How was he to hunt if he didn’t even know where his pack _was_? Well, if they weren’t _here_ , then they must be out _there_. He sat up, powerful muscles screaming in relief. The furless worm who brought meat and pain seemed pleased. Soon, they won’t be.

“Subject is finally responding. Good job, 1463—1463, what are you doing? Stop that! No—No, wait!” sharp claws tore through soft flesh. He briefly enjoyed the sensation of hot blood soaking his fur. Once he found his pack he’d make an excellent alpha. The ease in which tore through the furless worms was proof enough.

The cool night air soothed something inside him. He didn’t realize he was so tense. Taking in a deep breath of air he scented something. Death. Decay. Danger. But underneath that was— _finally_ —a proper scent, or close to it. Much like his own. Pack? He followed the trail to a pit. It smelled overwhelmingly of death and danger despite being empty, or maybe _because_ it was empty. But moving away from it was the proper scent. Old, not quite right, but the closest thing he’d smelled to pack. Young. Pup? He tracked the scent, weak as it was.

Soon, he’d find the source.

\--Barty, my main vampire man!—

Bartholomew sipped his martini at the bar, watching the night club pulse with music, lights, and excess emotions. He drank it all in like the alcohol in his glass. He never expected the Lady to call in a favor like that. Shit… how long had it been since he’d been near one of the fuzzy-butts? Children were so rare for them… all of them. Damn near impossible, actually. Most of the people left behind died. Drank them selves into a stupor. Scattered across the vast reflections, he doubted there were many here anymore.

He closed his eyes and memories flashed by. To his days in battle against Monsters and humans alike. Training with the Lady and never managing to land a hit. Discovering what it was he truly craved, fuck that was a relief. So troublesome to drink blood when all he needed was something deeper. Something less tangible. Then the bass dropped and he was back again. It was good that Monsters were free once more, but how many were still trapped?

The kitsune couldn’t fix it. They’re responsible for the problem in the first place… but maybe that’s why Sasha’s here. There’s an imbalance. It needs to be fixed. Old problems are made new once more. Bartholomew just hoped that the little kit would make it through alright. It’s no small thing to be expected to fix the multiverse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter was shorter than I usually make it, but I couldn't think of anything else to write. Maybe one day i'll make a good picture for this story but i'm just starting to get the hang of fur. Not sure how to pull of a fox just yet. Eh.
> 
> Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. We finally learned a solid amount on how Sasha grew up. What a shitty childhood. I considered going farther, but it's already pretty shitty. Hm... Anyway, feel free to request, comment, or recommend whatever! If you're not comfortable talking through this site, I have a Tumblr of the same name. I post art and funny stories from time to time and I'm totally cool with talking to you guys. Not like I have much of a social life anyway cx


	32. Get Yourself an Education (And An Awesome Backpack, Void not Included)!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5/12/2017: Edited my fucking potty mouth corrupting Sasha. Well, I left one curse word, but that's all I did. (pretty sure at least).

I wasn’t… _thrilled_ to be going to school. With the tests taken properly, the results were pretty surprising. I’d always challenged myself by underperforming rather than doing my best. I didn’t need to take any more math or science classes since I had the basics down, but mom told me that the more specialized classes were open if I wanted to. Stuff like astronomy and advanced chemistry. But what I already knew fulfilled the general education requirements. I did need to take another year or so of English class, as well as a tutoring session for monster history.

Monsters had a pretty streamlined education system, mostly because their schools were always small and easier to teach due to more mature mindsets, but also because they didn’t separate knowledge base as much as humans do. They separated their students based on knowledge, not year, in three groups with three more sub-groups in each. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced. For example, my English class will be in advanced-intermediate (also referred to as A.I., humorously enough), which qualifies me to learn a second language, if I so desire. It sounds kind of interesting, so I just might. Their system was also more _fluid_ than my old education system. You had to be _incredibly_ advanced to qualify for skipping a year. Monsters kept it simple. The moment you were deemed sufficiently ahead of the curve, and passed the ‘entrance exam’ for the next relevant level, you were moved up. End of story. No pressing ‘how will they mingle with their older peers’ concerns because physical age doesn’t matter to monsters.

Apparently, it was a bit tricky to work out standardized tests since they didn’t seamlessly fit into the human schooling system, but they figured it out alright from what I could tell.

The school day itself was separated into eight parts with two of them being lunch and recess from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon. This left six class hours to fill up. My required classes took up four; A.I. English, B.B. Monster History (doubled since it was a tutoring session to catch me up and would remain so until I hit A.I.), and B.B. Magic and Souls. That left me two classes that were entirely my own choice. And I had no clue what to do with that freedom. Since I’m already late to the party, so to speak, mom said I could take the first day to talk with a teacher about my options. Sounded like a plan to me.

Now, some might find it curious why I’m being tutored in Monster History but not Magic and Souls. Obviously, it was because of my background. Dr. Undyne and Captain Alphys didn’t think it would be a good idea to stick me in a class where it would be seen as odd that I knew so much human history, but not monster history. I could also ask questions properly since the teacher will be given basic information about my ignorance beforehand. And with my Soul stable enough to use magic, I qualify for the basic level of the Magic and Souls class. Yeah, they wait quite some time so that monster children won’t try and use magic before their Soul can handle it, which mine can. Not that you learn to do magic until intermediate anyway.

Of course, it wasn’t like I was nervously putting off thinking about my new school. It was totally normal for me to brush my fur three times. To (finally) file my nails down from that menacingly sharp point over the course of an hour with all the deliberation of a dramatic artist. And that was before bed. Sleep didn’t come any easier, unfortunately.

\--*cue harp solo*--

_“….” A low buzz filled the air. It was so dark._

_“…….” Who was talking?_

_“… boring…. –ate this.”_

_“Shut up. She’s tryi—leep.”_

_“I’d much rather…. Go home.” A deep voice whined._

_“I know… not –we can do.” Why did I feel like crying?_

\--*harp solo in reverse*--

I didn’t want to get up, but today definitely wasn’t a day where I could just sleep in. Mom knocked on the door and opened it just a crack.

“Get up, sweetie. You need to get ready for school.” I huffed but slinked out of bed anyway, fumbling to the bathroom to brush my teeth and fur. What was once rather white fur between my ears was now rather short black hair with white tips. It wasn’t long enough to get to my eyes yet, resembling wild locks rather than what used to be pin straight hair. I guess it’ll get to that point sooner or later. It was silly, but I almost hoped that the white would stay there, even after I eventually get a trim. It looked very anime protagonist. Wait… characters with white hair usually have tragic backstories and die… oh. Right. Little late to worry about that, isn’t it? Regardless, I brushed my fur (and hair) no less than three times.

The closest thing to a uniform the school had was requiring children to wear stripes, so I just picked out an orange and red striped sweater with blue jeans. Nervously, I made the bed back up, tucking Barry in reluctantly. I didn’t really want to give off _that_ sort of impression on my first day… though judging by the dizzying feeling in the pit of my stomach, the support would have been nice.

Mom hummed a little ditty while icing cinnamon rolls in the kitchen, F.D. leaning against the doorjamb with a happy smile. I paused for a moment at seeing his expression. Did he…?

“Oh, Sasha, there you are! I’ve set aside a couple for breakfast before F.D. drives us over to the school!”

“Sweet… wait, you have a car?” I asked. He nodded, toying with his red bandana.

“Sure do, little rascal. Ain’t got much need for it, most of the time. I prefer to walk myself, but it’s handy when helping Brio out with deliveries and such.” I hummed in acknowledgement, narrowing my eyes a bit in suspicion. They _could_ just be friends.

“So… are you going to take me to school _every_ day?”

“Well, he might. Unless someone can carpool to pick you up, because it is _definitely_ too far to walk.” Mom said, setting the icing down and lifting me up to sit on the counter next to a plate with two cinnamon rolls and a glass of milk. F.D. got his own plate and leaned against the counter next to mom, who decided it was easier to just sit like I was. Carefully, I dug in, trying not to burn myself or get icing all over the place. I was surprisingly successful on both ends.

“Are you nervous for school, Sasha?” F.D. asked. I felt the air rush past my ears as they twitched. Right. They’ve been pretty… low-set for a kid eating cinnamon rolls. F.D. is a sharp dude.

“Ehm…” I glanced up at mom and kicked my feet while taking a sip of milk, “Yeah… I guess. Not very sure about this whole… ‘socializing’ thing.” Mom rubbed my back.

“I figured. Your fur looks really nice.”

“Thanks. I brushed it like… what? Two or three times? For some reason?” I muttered mutinously into the milk. Where was my ‘lone wolf’ persona? I guess it was a little more difficult when I didn’t have an established ‘loner’ reputation. Or an ever-present shadow looming over me, ready to pounce on perceived weakness. Mom chuckled a bit and brushed through the wild patch of dark hair.

“Your hair is growing out pretty quickly too…” Brio mused, “Think you’ll want to dye your hair?” she asked. I looked up in surprise. Dye my hair? I’d… never done that before. Mostly because I was pretty concerned that my mother would shear my hair off for the offense.

“…I can do that?” she nodded.

“Yep. My sister’s oldest does it all the time. A different color every week.”

“Wow… isn’t their hair… I don’t know, really damaged from that?” mom paused in confusion before it dawned on her.

“Oh, no! Of course not. The dye is magic and we’re _made_ of magic, so while it’s not permanent, it stays for a long time. It’s also not damaging. You just need to be careful not to dye your face or paws. My sister still has pictures of that and takes them out every time her daughter brings home a date.” I laughed a little at the image. I guess that would be a lot more pressing for furry monsters than humans. Especially if it doesn’t come out easily. I looked down at my empty plate. Not even first-day-anxiety can keep me from eating cinnamon rolls. Hell yeah.

“Sounds like fun. Maybe I will…” I said, setting down my plate and dropping to the floor. The stepping stool was already in front of the sink so I just grabbed our plates, that mom was kind enough to hand me. On the way to the sink, I stopped and waited for F.D. to hand me his plate, which he did with an indulgent smile. I set them in the sink, running hot water over them for a few seconds each while they talked.

“Those were good cinnamon rolls, Brio. I wouldn’t mind coming over more often if you insist on feeding me so well.”

“I’d be a poor baker if I couldn’t make cinnamon rolls, F.D.” mom sassed, “But thanks for the compliment anyway.” I checked my muzzle for icing and upon finding none, hopped down from the sink and froze.

“Wait a second…” mom looked down at me in concern.

“What is it?”

“Don’t I need a backpack? Supplies?” I certainly don’t remember shopping for them. Mom paused for a moment before laughing.

“Oh! Right, Papyrus dropped off a backpack with the supplies you need a few days ago with Sans. Something about a belated apology?” I nodded my head in understanding, “I believe I put it right over… ah, behind the counter. Of course, I can’t believe I almost forgot about your backpack!” mom chided herself, after scanning the kitchen and front room for this mysterious bag. The bag itself was pretty standard… Well, the shape was. A messenger bag with surprisingly vivid galaxy pattern on it. Cool. She handed it to me.

**You received the Galaxy Print Messenger Bag!**

**Wow! What a neat bag!**

**It’s already filled with supplies, but you’ve gained extra inventory slots anyway!**

**\+ 20 slots!**

**-4 slots (currently in use)!**

**Would you like to see what’s inside?**

**Yes? <**

**No**

I’m not sure if it was the _worst_ mistake I’d ever made or not, but it was pretty weird ‘looking’ into the bag. There seemed to be a void inside, and within that void hovered several items, all in very organized rows with their own descriptive texts that I could read. Somehow. Six notebooks grouped in one slot, each in a different color. Two mechanical pencils together that looked suspiciously like Nabstabot merchandise. And finally, three pens of similar appearance, but with red, black, and blue ink. There was also a pale blue highlighter and, you guessed it, Nabstabot themed. Cool. Now I kind of want to stop looking inside this acid trip. It’s really starting to freak me out.

I looked up and was relieved that the void didn’t somehow consume all of reality. Magic is capable of some really _freaky_ stuff. Including me—Ah. Wait… Well, I was _wondering_ where that identity crisis and body issues was hiding. So _good_ to know that didn’t just _disappear_ or anything. One day at I time, I guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me quite a long time to freaking write this. But I got it! I wonder what kind of extra class she'll take? How the school will be? I mean, if you guys have ideas, feel free to throw them out there. Despite what it may seem like, I haven't actually planned this all out. Ah, I even made a picture for Sasha (like I drew one and everything), but I haven't posted it yet. I just can't seem to get fur down, let alone patterned fur (really shot myself in the foot with the weird salt n' pepper bullshit on her face), though I did realize that the basic head shape for foxes, as well as rabbits, happens to be a walnut. Curious, isn't it?
> 
> Oh right, and classes are over with! I'm free until June when I start my summer class (watercolor) and work! But the good news is that I aced this semester! My GPA is finally back over a 3.0! (German really fucked me over. Seriously, don't take a language class if the teacher is doing it over video unless you've heard /really/ good things about the class. Kind of hard to take it seriously if the teacher isn't there in person and can't police the class, which was our own fault really, but the textbook was also bullshit soo.... yeah).
> 
> Anyway, I've talked long enough. If you guys want to, feel free to comment, request, or recommend. I've got a Tumblr too if you prefer that (with the same name as this account so it shouldn't be difficult to find). I only get better through two things! Practice and feedback! So help me do better for you guys!


	33. School and Horror. Whoops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skip the last middle break part if the last encounter with a Wendigo was too much for you. I swear i didn't set out to write horror, but here we are.

            It was immediately apparent that the school was previously a five story office building repurposed to suit their needs. Monsters, most with striped shirts, entered the building in groups while the adults watched over them. F.D.’s truck parked in the mostly empty lot across the street. That was a lot of kids… Mom turned in her seat to look back at me.

            “Alright, the office is on the first floor and we’ll meet up with the principal there… are you ready?” she asked softly while F.D. turned off the ignition.

            “Ready as I’ll ever be.” Was my only response, causing mom to tweak her nose in amusement. It was still sort of hot outside despite it being early morning, but the pavement wasn’t melting my paw pads, so I was pretty happy. F.D. placed a gentle paw on my back while mom grabbed my own paw as we crossed the street cautiously. A few monsters recognized mom and F.D. but merely waved and looked on in curiosity. Either they were busy too or news had traveled fast enough that they could wait for further answers.

            The air conditioning was rather impressive considering the foot traffic going in and out of the building. The main lobby was of a reasonable size with a front desk and a labelled stairway next to the elevator. Behind the secretaries’ desk was an open doorway to what I assumed to be the principal’s office. A gray rabbit monster was seated behind the secretary desk, busily typing away at the computer, when we walked up. After a moment, they glanced up and gasped.

            “Brio! Cousin, dear! What brings you here?” She asked cheerfully. Mom pushed me forward a little bit and smiled.

            “Hey, Claw, we were told to talk to the principal before Sasha started school.” ‘Claw’ looked down at me and smiled.

            “Oh, hello dear! I didn’t realize that you’d adopted someone, cousin! Principal Tar is just in his office, don’t be fooled by it’s empty appearance. I believe he’s ‘cleaning’ his bookcase again.” Claw giggled mischievously and waved us by.

            “Alright, thanks Claw. You should come by the shop sometime!” mom said before turning towards me, “I have a rather large family, actually, so don’t be surprised at the large amount of cousins, aunts, and uncles you might suddenly meet.” Upon entering the office, I finally noticed the rather bulky form of who I could only assume to be the principal. He seemed to be a bull monster, with an impressive suit and ivory horns. F.D. cleared his throat and chuckled when the principal jerked and glanced at us guiltily, hoof perched on the spine of a book.

            “Ah! You must be the newest student, Sasha, and their guardian Brio! F.D., I didn’t expect to see you here!” Principal Tar’s voice rumbled softly.

            “Yeah, partner, I offered my old truck as a ride for the kit and Brio.” F.D. explained and Principal Tar nodded.

            “Sounds just like you… Right, back to business!” He declared, pulling out a folder from the filing cabinet, “You have one open hour to fill with whatever you choose. Technically, it should be two, but one is for… well, to be honest, it’s a nap hour. You’re still quite young, after all, and once you no longer need it for resting, you may choose another class to fill the slot. You’re quite advanced in everything but history and magic lessons, so you have plenty of options! You have until the end of next week to decide and here is your current schedule with a map for your classes. Do you have any questions?” He asked as he handed me a few sheets of paper. One listed possible classes I could take, one was my schedule, and another was a map with the classes layout.

            “Actually, is there a way for her to get a ride home? I can’t guarantee I’ll always be free at that time and I don’t want to bother F.D. quite so much.” Mom asked uncertainly. Principal Tar nodded.

            “Well, several groups are escorted home on foot and one of them happens to run through your neighborhood. None of the staff have vehicles of their own yet, and several parents have similar issues. And with the buddy system in effect, there should be a minimum of two adults with them at all times. I’ll ask around, so Sasha, if you would kindly stop by my office at the end of the day, I’ll make sure you find a group to walk home with.” Principal Tar reassured me.

            “Alright… I guess I go to class now?” I asked, shuffling awkwardly as I looked at the map. Fifth floor and then I go back to the third floor, cafeteria on the second floor, and back to the third floor. F.D. ruffled my fur and chuckled.

            “Sure do, buckaroo.” He reassured me as mom kneeled down to hug me.

            “Are you alright finding your first class or would you like me to come with you?” she asked softly as I returned the hug. I shook my head.

            “Nah, I’ll be fine. See you this afternoon, mom.” I replied cheerfully despite my nerves. Mom sighed and reluctantly waved goodbye as I left the office and headed towards the stairs. The elevator was probably a better option, but it looked remarkably busy. Not to mention most everyone was significantly taller than me. I didn’t fancy a tail to the face or accidentally getting hit with a bag. There was _some_ regret when I found myself borderline gasping at the top of the stairs. I took a moment to catch my breath before heading towards the appropriate classroom. Some of the seats were already filled and a tall brown weasel looking monster in a sweater dress was writing on papers behind the teacher’s desk. As expected, I was at least half the size of the smallest monster here. The professor’s ears twitched and they looked over at me.

            “Oh, are you by chance, Sasha?” I nodded, “Oh! I’m Ms. Poppy and this is Advanced-Intermediate English class! Class doesn’t start for another fifteen minutes, so go ahead and take a seat, deary!” Ms. Poppy sang. I nodded and turned towards the classroom, eyeing a seat in the middle row and next to the wall. My closest neighbor, a dark tan colored cat, almost squealed when I sat down.

            “I’m, like, so sorry, but you’re so cute! And _young_!” the other classmates laughed and nodded their heads. Why did I have a feeling as though this would be rather normal?

\--Captain oh Captain!—

            Captain Alphys glared at the mess that was made in the park sometime late at night. Without any cameras, there wasn’t any telling if it was vindictive humans or drunk monsters ruining their own park. But the amount of strange dirty red residue was telling. Trees were marked by something with wicked claws and several trash cans were crushed, their contents spilled across the grass. There was only one place she’d seen a similar residue.

            Sasha’s surgery room. The liquid could only be described as a horrid mix of monster dust and blood. But Sasha nearly died without help, help that only her better half could give, and Undyne would have _definitely_ told her if another human had turned. So what the hell happened here? _Who_ was here and where did they go? Judging by the mess left behind, they seemed incredibly aggressive and possibly canine in nature. Greater dog tends to leave similar marks if he scratches at the door to her office for long enough. And if they are canine in nature, they’ll likely seek their pack.

            But there was only one other person Alphys knew of that would smell close enough to the monster to _be_ pack… She needed to increase patrols around Brio’s home and inform her of the danger. Sasha is _not_ to be left alone for the foreseeable future. Not until they found the culprit. Perhaps this new monster would remember more than Sasha does and they can find whoever is causing these deadly and painful transformations. Assuming they don’t die soon due to the inherent unstable nature that Sasha exhibited prior to surgery. At least the monster was unlikely to go towards the human part of town with their likely quarry living amongst other monsters.

\--Cue threatening thunder and lightning—

            The boss wasn’t going to like these reports. Their _first_ real success since they started this program and they let it get away. But not _everything_ was going horribly wrong. The subject had a definite goal in mind, and not towards any prior places of resident. Many of the scientists were wondering just what the subject was tracking into the city. They also discovered that whatever had been eating the failed experiments was wildly aggressive. Several squads didn’t make it back in for reporting.

            Personally, guardsman Tom felt that the area was growing increasingly haunted with the… less than moral experiments going on. He _swears_ that he’s felt a sudden chill and his name being called out on the wind, but never dared to follow it. Somehow, he didn’t think it was the local wildlife kindly disposing of the bodies. He’s… _seen_ things out in the dark woods, flickering between the trees. Ghosts or demons, or even vengeful monsters… he honestly didn’t know. But with every day that passes, that voice grows louder. The urge to follow more prominent. He needed to leave soon, before it was too late—

            _“Tom… Come home, Tommy, you don’t want to be late, do you?”_ a kind and gentle voice whispered from between the trees. The woods were thick in this area where the subject ran through, but despite the weather being warm earlier, Tom felt inexplicably cold. Somewhere in his mind, he felt panic grow, but it was smothered by that voice… that voice that he knew, surely? How could he forget his good friend… friend? What was their name? Their face? It certainly wasn’t his patrol partner, investigating the trail some thirty feet away. Something wasn’t right. His grip on the rifle faltered as his comm blasted with static. He needed to run.

            “N-No… this isn’t… this isn’t _right_.” He whispered, his breath turning into fog as he began to break out in cold sweat. His boots dragged over the ground in uncertainty, head growing hazy as he tried to remember where he was supposed to go. The trees were so thick, fog spiraling between the trunks in a thick blanket, obscuring the ground. It was mid-day, wasn’t it? Where was the sun? When did it get so dark?

Abruptly, he realized that it _was_ still daylight out, sunbeams vainly attempting to pierce the trees and fog. Where he was standing was dark and obscured, a rotten smell heavy in the air and he doesn’t recall ever feeling so _cold_. He was in danger, the realization hit him then, but just as quickly, that kind voice soothed his worries. Doesn’t he trust his friend?

 _“Everything is alright, Tommy. Don’t you feel tired?”_ pale white limbs drifted down and settled in front of him, gory stained claws digging into the dirt, caging him against a bony chest echoing with a deathly rattle. When did he kneel down, the question echoed in his mind as what felt like an ice block nuzzled the side of his face, _“I’m so **hungry, Tommy…** ”_

An hour later, when the next rotation of guards came by, there wasn’t any sign of Tom Brady. His gun and a broken comm was all that was left behind, covered in a thick and tacky layer of blood. The ground where he was presumed to have died was disturbed greatly, but no real leads were left behind. Not even his patrol partner, Franklin Mason, a mere thirty feet away, heard anything, though he claimed to have seen fog roll through before disappearing mere minutes later. Tom Brady was the fourth disappearance that week, the report and investigation soon buried to prevent certain parties from looking into the local area too closely.

Franklin Mason would disappear as well four days later, investigating a voice suspiciously like that of Tom Brady, his deceased poker buddy and patrol partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! It's been... well, /quite a long time/ hasn't it? It almost seems like i was so done with my own school i did everything possible to avoid writing Sasha's schooling as well. And it's easy to drift away from a story that gets little to no attention that i'm aware of. But it isn't dropped, so that's something!
> 
> If you have anything to say, things you want to see or know, ask away here or on my Tumblr of the same username as here! Blog's called "Winter's Grasp"... for reasons. Anyway, i hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and hopefully I'll update again soon!


	34. Old Friends, New Friends

Somehow, I’m not sure _why_ , but somehow it was surprising how normal classes were. Occasionally, the teachers would reference something monster related, but a majority of the teaching supplies were of this country. If it wasn’t for the occasional reference to monster topics I wasn’t aware of, it would have been remarkable similar to my old high school. Well, there was _one_ thing that was different. I was quite a bit younger than most of the monsters in this building, let alone the advanced classes floor. And they weren’t total jerks about it, either. A bit too enthralled with how ‘cute and fluffy and small’ I was, but not in a mean-spirited way.

No one doubted my ability to be there in those classes, which wasn’t something I realized I was concerned about until my double tutoring session for monster history. Fib, my tutor, appeared to be a young griffon, sporting a olive green stripped sweater. He was earning extra credit towards a teaching degree by tutoring a few monsters, myself included. He was methodical and, yeah, a bit dry at times, but he honestly seemed passionate about teaching.

“I suppose one of the most prevalent topics you should learn about is the war that sealed us underground in the first place. Teaching history tends to be… spotty due to the large scale destruction of the war and the lack of materials for a long time after being sealed. So most of what we know today has been carried down _orally_.” Fib shuffled in his seat, claws lightly scratching the tabletop. This session takes place in Fib’s ‘office’, which is a small room just off the library where he completes most of his research and papers for his masters. Apparently he was a rather well-renowned monster, despite his ‘youth’.

“Alright, that makes sense. So… how _did_ it start?” I asked, relieved that he had been told to expect rather unusual questions.

“Well, to be honest, the stories we have are… not entirely helpful in that manner. We know it was because humans took… great exception to monsters, as well as their powerful magic. Some stories claim it was because monsters cursed great numbers of humans, but I doubt monsters have ever had the power to curse _one_ human, let alone large numbers.” Fib tsked and shook his head, waving a claw as though dismissing the motion, “But the outcome is very clear. With heavy casualties, monsters were sealed underground by a magic spell, cast by human magic users. Over time, we rebuilt our kingdom beneath the mountain.” He continued on to explain the prophecy, how it connected with the symbol of the monster kingdom, and the first fallen human and the monster prince. Two hours have honestly never gone by so _fast_. I now had an entire hour free to myself, at least until I decide on a class to take.

“I’m pretty sure you’re… ehm, rather tired of me being in here after two hours but I was wondering…” I asked uncertainly, combing through my tail with blunt claws until Fib nodded kindly, “Well, I was wondering if you had advice for my open time slot? I honestly don’t know what to take.” I finished lamely, uncertain if there was anyone else free at this time. Fib nodded solemnly.

“Well, that is a difficult question, Sasha… I suppose it depends on your interests. I know there is a few language classes open right now, art, drama, there’s even a monster-human relations class. This isn’t even counting the math and science courses. I believe the real question is what are _you_ interested in? Your general education requirements are nearly through, as is, so the world is your oyster, as the humans say.” Fib declared with arms thrown wide and a pleased expression, “I believe either Mrs. Claws or Principal Tar will give you a full list of courses you can take within the next few days, so think on it! Until then, feel free to explore the library or check out the ‘playground’ on the roof.” I nodded my head and made my way to the door. I suppose they didn’t want to risk leading kids back and forth through the district to make it to an actual park.

“Thanks, Fib. See you tomorrow!” he replied with a negligent wave as he stuck his nose in a thick book, muttering to himself. I huffed and looked at the rows of books. Well, I had an hour to kill until lunch time. I perused the shelves idly, taking my time looking over the rather numerous puzzle books, and somewhat neglected looking hand-made books. They appeared to be school projects from some time ago. I honestly didn’t know how to feel about monster memorials, nor the rather informal tone in talking about dealing with the dust of a fallen monster. If it wasn’t for the soft bell sound ringing over the intercom, I would have forgotten about the time entirely. I barely took three steps out the library when a familiar voice called out to me.

“Hey, Sasha! You headed to lunch?” my neighbor from English, Tabby, proclaimed eagerly. I nodded my head, “That’s super great, you should come sit with us!” I sighed, feeling rather nervous. This wasn’t like my old high school at all. Usually, I would have glared such an invite into awkward silence and submission but… I just can’t bring myself to do that here. Not now that I have a chance at a new start. But part of me sort of did want to, just for old times sake.

\--Detective Bryan, on the case!—

He hadn’t been to a big city since he was a kid, his dad showing off the main office building for his corporation proudly. Despite being older, the city still seemed to dwarf him. This was the city currently holding the largest number of monsters in the world. But he didn’t see any around, nor did he know where to go. Or what to do for that matter. He _knew_ , deep down, that somehow there was a connection to Sasha disappearing and the monsters showing up just days later.

Research into other missing persons’ cases revealed that there was an unexpected spike of people disappearing just before monsters ‘came out’. Sure, some of them could have been coincidences, but an increase of almost 75% just weeks before and somewhere below 50% after monsters were revealed? Those numbers had decreased significantly over the past few months, but still… something wasn’t right. Bryan looked at the city map laid out across the single bed of his hotel room, glaring at the various street names and marked buildings. Where the hell is he supposed to go to actually _see_ monsters, let alone investigate them?!

Then he caught it, a slightly grayed over area of the city map, just before the edge. It was mostly blank and labeled,

“Monster District…” Bryan breathed out in shock. Why wasn’t it included as well? Then he recalled the various snippets of conversation, littered here and there. Right. Monster, for the most part, weren’t well liked. The place he bought the map from also seemed inhospitable towards monsters. Hell, the little old lady behind the desk seemed to dislike that _he_ was even interrupting her day. Where would he buy a map, anyway? Somewhere in the district, he imagined. Well, no better time than today!

The closer he got to the district, the more… tense things seemed. There were patches of large groups scattered around, but it was still somehow busy. He passed what looked like a yarn shop, turning onto a completely deserted street before continuing forward, though a bit slower than before. He almost thought he took a wrong turn into an abandoned district, but the streets were too clean for that. He took another turn and suddenly found himself in a much brighter place. Literally.

Shops were painted bright colors, and several… monsters were walking around. All in groups as well. He felt a jolt of excitement run through him. He was here! In person! A place where _monsters_ lived and thrived with _magic_! He almost wanted to laugh, thrill shooting through him at all the _possibilities_. And then a crushing weight settled on his shoulders. He wasn’t here to explore a new culture, to expand his horizons, he was here to look for his friend. He glanced around in curiosity, feeling much more grounded at the reminder. Then the scent of _delicious baked goods_ filled his nose. A bakery didn’t sound like a _bad place_ to start looking.

\--F.D. looking into things—

F.D., ever mindful of the current curfew and buddy system, was surprised when he saw someone walking down the street alone. He was just hanging outside Frosty’s place, enjoying the rare cool breeze currently working it’s way through the city, well in view of his friends inside. After a moment of consideration, he saw it was a human. He hadn’t ever seen many, so he wasn’t sure of the age, but the human seemed to be young. Something in their gait, bubbly and happy before a somber mood set in, tipped him off. He let out a sharp whistle and waved his paw, catching the attention of the other groups of monsters wandering down the street. They all stiffed when they saw the human but relaxed as they realized that he had it well in hand.

The human didn’t seem to notice any of this, caught up in the surprise at being addressed. They looked longingly at Brio’s shop, something he could understand as he could smell the Cinna bunnies from here, before reluctantly approaching F.D.

“Howdy, buckaroo, what are you doing here? Ya lost?” they shook their head.

“Nah, I’m exploring.” F.D. nodded and presented a paw. The human shook after a moment of hesitation and smiled openly at him. The human smelled… rather like he recently came from somewhere outside the city. A place with more grass, but still urban. And like sweat, but F.D. wasn’t holding that against them. It was rather warm out to be exploring.

“Well, you chose an odd time for it. Hot out today and well… they just cleaned up the damage from the raid.” The human seemed… startled by this information.

“Raid?!” F.D. nodded.

“A few humans… well, most city folks referred to it as ehm… _violent protesting_. Broke windows, assaulted several monsters. There’s also a curfew out in the monster district, so be wary of that.” F.D. didn’t mention the buddy system.

“That’s… That’s awful, I didn’t hear anything about that. I uhm, actually tried to find the monster district with a map, but it was just a gray area with no details.” They admitted sheepishly before they gasped, “Oh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t introduce myself, I’m Bryan McGuile.”

“I’m F.D., it’s a pleasure to meet a nice human. Rather refreshing, actually.” ‘Bryan’ laughed and nodded.

“Yeah, I’d imagine. Sorry to run on you, but I wanted to check out the… bakery, I think?” Bryan nodded, “Yeah, bakery. Have a nice day, F.D.!” the human waved back at him as they walked away. F.D. was pretty good at judging people, and Bryan seemed like a nice kid. Perhaps a bit air-headed, but F.D. wasn’t going to fault him for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, almost forgot to put a note here! Recently, i made another picture of Sasha with a side by side for her previous human form. This time, she actually looks rather like a kit (I just gave her fluffy ears) and a possible future haircut. I don't know, it's not set in stone yet. But yeah, it's on my Tumblr, so feel free to check it out there. 
> 
> That's about all i want to say, so i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to comment, request, and all that.


	35. First Day part 2

Tabby had a rather colorful group of friends. Literally. Mostly in pastel shades, but there were a few darker colors here and there. A large bird looking monster with one eye giggled, azure wings brushing over a plate of food, probably something the one-eyed monster in a pale green said. While most were semi-animal like, there were two slime looking monsters at the end of the table and what looked like a dark purple cloud guy glaring at his food. Obviously, I had no hope of remembering all their names, but they didn’t seem to mind. Most didn’t even coo at my size or ‘youth’.

The food itself was rather varied. There seemed to be a little bit of everything. I think I even saw a small pit of coal as an option for food. Drinks were interestingly labeled. Sea tea, golden flower tea, echo flower tea… a lot of teas, actually. I chose a simple salad with chicken slices and a muffin with echo flower tea. That tea in particular seemed to be quite popular and I was curious as to what the glowing blue liquid tasted like. A cautious sip revealed a cinnamon bunny flavor and I hummed in surprise. Someone at the table giggled as I ate some of my salad and took another sip, only to find that it now tasted like lettuce, almost choking in surprise. Tabby, very much amused, kindly patted my back in sympathy as I coughed.

“W-Wh-at the h-ell?” I choked out, glaring at my tea, causing a majority of the once quiet table to burst out into laughter. Belatedly, it clicked that the name was a bit _too_ fitting for the curious tea, reluctantly laughing at myself with a groan that I muffled with my paws clasped firmly over my face.

“Sorry I didn’t warn you, Sasha! I thought you knew!” I shook my head and waved a paw at her.

“No, no. It’s fine. Ugh… I _really_ should have seen that coming.” I shook my head and sulked around another bite of salad. Tabby chuckled at my misfortune while someone across the table, a large lime green crane, clacked their beak with a smile and asked me something.

“So… where are you from, anyway? I don’t recall seeing you around before! Not many foxes in the underground, let alone with two tails.” I shrugged, feeling mischievous and, without thinking of the consequences, and with no preamble, told them the cover story.

“I don’t know. I was found a while back and my Soul had exploded. Then mom adopted me and here I am!” I declared as though there wasn’t anything shocking about that statement. Tabby choked on a sliver of meat, a reaction shared by quite a few monsters around me, including those at the table behind me that appeared to have been eavesdropping. I cackled softly, hiding my grin behind my echo flower tea, wincing at the taste of lettuce. I see the downside of this tea now…

“W-What?! Are you serious?!” Tabby exclaimed hoarsely. I nodded, still cackling.

“Yeah… I got better.” It took some serious effort to pull them off that topic of conversation, but eventually it was time for recess. This took place on the roof, which was securely fenced in and covered in turf, like a roof garden. Small monsters ran around, screaming happily as the older ones usually relaxed and did homework or read books. Tabby’s group of friends mostly relaxed themselves, but Tabby surprised me. After stretching, she let her tail whack my face and laughing.

“Catch me if you can, Sasha!” I gaped at her for a moment before charging forward, laughing, nearly tripping several times but she couldn’t run forever. Narrowly avoiding slamming into a small dog, I leapt up and attached myself to Tabby’s back. She yelped in surprise as I cackled, claws digging into her shirt. After a few pleas for mercy, I leapt off her back just before she spun on her heel and smirked at me, “Your turn, Sasha!” before starting towards me. I made a startled yelp and scrambled to get away. Her friends laughed and cheered on the side lines, not at all surprised at her behavior or mine. By the time recess was over, I was more than thankful for that nap hour. It took place in a rather large room with sleeping mats all over the floor. Before I could even step into the room I heard a scoff.

A dog monster with floppy ears and a brown coat stood behind me with two other similarly colored dogs. They each had striped sweaters, primarily in red, blue, and yellow.

“Newbie is a _baby_. They have to nap in the _baby_ room.” The sheer weight of the insult pulled my face into an unimpressed expression before I could think better of it. The monster growled, “What, got something to say _baby_?” I am _literally_ too tired for this nonsense.

“If anything, I’m a kit. And give it a few years, you’ll be wishing you could still nap too. Trust me.” Oh the problems that would have been solved if nap time kept for several more grade levels, I swear. And then I turned around and walked into the room. A chameleon monster, who looked like a more soft and small Dr. Poppy, smiled at me.

“Go ahead and take a mat, dear. I’m just supervising this room. We have a few more monsters joining us this hour.” I nodded, choosing one near the farthest end from the door. I laid down, setting my bag near my head, and fell asleep quickly.

\--Harp solo—

_It was dark and peaceful, the moon shining down on a peaceful garden with a koi pond. I turned my head, having heard a rustling of fabric, and saw my Lady’s shadow on a paper screen. It flickered between human and fox, her many tails swaying like the candle flame that cast the shadow. Her sigh cut through the night._

“Beware the howl of madness, the cry from the lost one, for he won’t last long under the light of day.” _She seemed to whisper, her voice echoing in my ears,_ “A single strike to light the match. Be careful to not linger over the flame, kit… the shadows grow stronger along with the heat of the flame.”

\--Reverse harp solo—

So far, B.B. Magic and Souls was a history lesson and learning the basic properties of magic based on color. Thankfully, it was a review of the previous lesson, so I didn’t miss anything. We covered light blue, dark blue, orange, purple, yellow, and green. Red was the color associated with Determination, not something that monsters could wield and historically had a wild list of possible uses. Each depended heavily in the human using it, but most often was used to cheat death in some way. The color white was a basic magic attack that caused damage and gray didn’t do anything. I shivered from the reminder of my training session with Sans.

Those three dog monsters from earlier were in this class as well, but they mostly just sneered at me. Near the end of the session, all twenty of us were asked to try and summon a magic attack, but to not use it. I frowned at my paws, wondering if Fox Fire counted. Most everyone else seemed to be concentrating really hard, cupping their hands like they’re trying to catch something. Only a few managed to make small white shapes that hovered in their open palms. I heard a small ‘psst’ from behind me and turned to look at the dog monster in a yellow striped sweater. He had a wobbly and half-formed paw print.

“What’s the matter _baby_ , can’t use magic yet?” before I could even reply, Ms. Strut, a blue jay in a pale blue dress walked over.

“Are you having trouble creating magic, Sasha?” She asked softly. I shrugged, ignoring the laughter behind me.

“Well, kind of… the magic I use… it’s a bit… _different_? I wasn’t sure it counted because it isn’t like the magic you’ve described so far this lesson, Ms. Strut.” I said softly, a bit sheepish. Sans and I really should have tried to see if I could summon normal attacks. She clacked her beak and frowned.

“Is it destructive?” she asked and I made a ‘so-so’ movement with my hand, “What color is it?”

“Well, it’s kind of pale blue, but it doesn’t really work on only still targets. It cancels magic effects and destroys attacks.” She looked intrigued.

“You seem knowledgeable. If you have good control, go ahead and summon it.” I Flexed my claws, ready to do so, as I heard a growled—

“I bet they’re making things up.” Only to be immediately silenced when my open paw was covered in ghostly blue fire. Just like before, it behaved like real fire, waving and flickering in my palm. Ms. Strut squawked in surprise.

“Sans and I haven’t gotten around to trying to make regular magic attacks, so this is the only magic I know how to make right now.” I explained with a shrug.

“T-That’s… very interesting! Well, try and see if you can’t make a regular white attack for the rest of the lesson, alright? We can talk more after class.” she said and I nodded in response. I didn’t really know how to go about that, though, so I focused on feeling for… well, _magic_. My familiar theme music resounded in my ears, but I had no luck in summoning normal attacks by the end of the lesson. The three dogs left without trying anything and I approached the teacher.

“You wanted to talk?” I asked and she jumped a little in surprise.

“Oh! Yes, I did, Sasha. I won’t hold you back for long, I just wanted to ask about your training with Sans. What all have you covered?” I paused, considering the question, before answering.

“Basic white attacks, dodging, how to use my Fox Fire, and the use of blue attacks.” I listed simply. She nodded in understanding.

“Alright, I was mostly just curious. If you have any more training sessions, please tell me what you cover. You can go ahead and leave now.” I nodded and headed towards the first floor where a deer monster in a green vest reclined against the doors alongside two other monsters, a bear and a small mouse, with a group of kids waiting. When the deer saw me, they waved at me.

“Hey, are you Sasha Snowdin?” I nodded, “Great, then that’s everyone and we can head out. Remember the rules. Stay together. We go through the business district and the closest neighborhood. Flag one of us down before you go into you home so we know for sure you’re dropped off, alright? Good. Let’s boogie.” I snorted a little and followed the group, idly listening to their chatter. It looked like I had a fairly decent walk ahead of me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a picture, btw, with a fair amount of foreshadowing to it, so go ahead and check it out if you want to here: https:// mamamittens .tumblr .com/post/166157812165/no-redemption-to-be-found-to-get-into-the-spoopy  
> Be sure to remove the spaces, yeah?
> 
> Anyway, I'm gearing up for Halloween and to help with that, I've made a new story, solely for one shots, basically, so that i can do little requests or scary stories, or even just general holiday themed bits without messing with the timeline of my current stories. So, if you want to see me write something (or even draw, but i'm still getting the hang of that so it may not happen, who knows), you can request it there on my story titled "But Seriously, What If?" The list of pre-selected AUs, tropes, and kinks are so that if you want to see something different, but you can't think of anything, you can select what sounds the most interesting. With or with smut related material and with any character I've written so far, or others, but be warned that i'm leery of writing some characters if i haven't already done so. But that's enough of plugging my own stories~
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter. Next chapter or the one after should come with some tension! IDK, I guess we'll see, yeah? Feel free to request or comment, here or on my tumblr, which you have a link to up in the beginning.


	36. A Calling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you haven't heard, FlamingoBlubber kindly offered to Beta my chapters. Thanks, chickadee~

Bryan looked around the bakery, appraising the items on display. They all looked _really_ good, how was he supposed to choose? The problem took all of his concentration… well, not quite all of it. Part of him floundered under the realization that he wasn’t likely to walk into the monster districts, happen upon Sasha, and uncover what appeared to be a conspiracy covered up by _someone big_ all in one day. It was unfortunate, but the truth. So, for now, he’ll settle for finding out about monsters and familiarizing himself with them. A bakery was just a… convenient place to start, seeing as how he had forgotten breakfast.

“Having some trouble?” Bryan jolted out of his thoughts when a soft voice chimed in. Glancing up, he saw a purple rabbit in a simple tank top and jeans, fluffy ears delicately pointing upwards. Bryan smiled sheepishly and nodded, taking note of the small smile that tweaked the rabbit’s nose in good humor.

“Well, I’ve got plenty here, so take your time. Prices are on display.” Bryan glanced at a small notecard in front of rabbit-shaped cinnamon treats and snorted at the cute name. Cinna-bunnies. He frowned at the price though. How much was fifteen _gold_? He had some cash and his card but… he didn’t usually carry around precious metals.

“Ah… how much is fifteen gold in dollars?” Bryan asked, not seeing any conversion chart nearby. The rabbit paused and frowned.

“Give me a minute, I wrote down my prices a while back, but you’re the first human to come in since I opened.” She opened several drawers and rummaged around before pulling out a board with prices written in neat calligraphy. Fifteen gold was equal to five bucks. He pulled out the money and slid it over the counter with a smile.

**You bought a Cinna-Bunny!**

**-$5**

_The fuck?_

“I’ll have one of those tasty smelling Cinna-bunnies, please!” He asked cheerfully, deciding to ignore it as he rocked on his heels in good humor as she placed one on a napkin and handed it over before dealing with the cash, “When it says gold… does it mean real gold? Cause I think that’s ripping you off a bit if it is.” He commented but she laughed and shook her head.

“Well, if it could be repurposed, then yeah, gold prices are a bit different for our currency though. Too much magic to keep it in a proper shape without taking damage. I doubt you’d be able to smelt it into a ring without it changing back in a day.” Bryan gaped at the rabbit in amazement, shoving a corner of the treat into his mouth without thinking. He hummed at the sweet taste, the bread still warm and soaked in cinnamon and melted sugar.

**You ate the Cinna-Bunny!**

**+10 HP**

**Isn’t it delicious?**

Well… he couldn’t argue with the mental breakdown he was having. Was he sick? The rabbit-lady laughed softly, eyes alight on his surprised expression.

“Ah, is this your first monster food?” he nodded numbly, “That would explain the look. Magic has that effect and I bake all my goods with magic. Fair warning, most Monsters have at least a little bit of magic inside their goods. It’s what causes the… narrating words, so to speak. If we were underground, you’d be seeing text boxes as you interact with the environment, because the small space condenses magic. In a few years our district will probably be like that too, but there’s no telling.” She explained and Bryan felt a bit calmer on the matter. As long as he wasn’t losing his mind, he supposed it was alright.

“Thanks… I’m Bryan by the way.” He introduced himself between bites, a little sad it was almost gone. She nodded to him and smiled softly.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Bryan, I’m Brio. You’re the first human I’ve had in my shop… well, the first _peaceful_ human.” Brio amended darkly and Bryan felt terrible. It clearly wasn’t easy living here.

“Yeah… I uhm… heard about the riot. I’m sorry you guys have had to deal with that.” Bryan apologized, feeling it was a rather lame apology, all things considered. It certainly didn’t make anything better, now did it? But Brio smiled and huffed softly.

“It’s quite alright. I could have done without the violence, but I think I can speak for all Monsters when I say a little hardship is worth finally seeing the sky.” Brio sighed happily. At that moment, Bryan _really_ hoped that Monsters weren’t responsible for Sasha disappearing. He polished off the sweet treat and started to leave.

“It was nice meeting you, Brio. I’ll probably be back for more of these delicious Cinna-bunnies, by the way!” Bryan proclaimed as he tossed the napkin in the trash and turned to leave, Brio’s laughter following him out the door. He soaked in the warm sun and considered his options. Where to next?

\--Later that afternoon—

Walking home like this honestly felt like being in a parade. A small parade, filled only with a handful of adults and mostly kids, but a parade nonetheless. Kids chatted together as we slowly made our way down the street, someone occasionally flagging down the ‘leader’ and leaving to enter a building. I mostly just listened to the idle chatter and waited until we started getting close to mom’s bakery. It was _quite_ the walk and I really started flagging by the time we had walked ten blocks. Really should have paid more attention along the drive to school. The deer looked back and noticed me getting worn out, but before he could say anything, a jaunty tune I could recall from Nabstabot’s special played. Surprised, he clumsily pulled out his phone and answered, his expression slack with horror as I noticed his ears flick down. The other adults paused in concern but he merely laughed nervously.

“U-Understood. Okay, guys, we’re going to duck into this building here for a bit and some Monsters will come and pick us up.” He said nervously, walking towards an office building. Confused, we all gathered in the main room a healthy distance from the doors. It was rather… unnerving how the tension seemed to rise as the deer took the time to speak softly to the other adults. A sudden cold chill swept down my spine as my ears caught something faintly echoing in the distance. A few of the others seemed to hear something too and they nervously shuffled closer together. Every few heartbeats the sound grew closer until even the adults heard it, their bodies tensing, ears and tails jerking downwards in worry.

Suddenly, so close it seemed to shake my core, a _howl_ echoed. It seemed to bounce off the walls and inside my head. My vision shaking with the intensity. It was haunting and seemed to never end, somehow _vicious_ and _mournful_ at the same time. Distantly, I felt my paws move over the floor and past the crumpled bodies of the others, seemingly out cold. In the streets were several armored monsters, covering their ears and snarling. My chest heaved, and my claws twitched, foreign emotions powering through me. I felt like I _needed_ to rip something apart. I felt like the worst parts of me were being _called_ forwards, towards something, or rather… _someone_. The howl cut off just as I turned the corner, leaving me floundering before a very _large_ and _feral_ wolf.

I should have been scared, the hulking mass of fur and muscle reeked of blood. Gleaming yellow eyes smoked acidic yellow magic that matched the foaming, dripped liquid a matching liquid that clung to their bloody fangs. But all that registered was _aggression_. I didn’t _want_ to cower, I wanted to _bite back_. The earlier howl still ringing in my ears and pushing me towards violence. The wolf crouched, size so massive I was dwarfed in comparison, and let out a low croon, nose twitching. It was a calling, again, but this time more gently. A soft ‘ _hello’_. A gentle _‘come here’_. Unlike the violent persuasion of before, I now felt a burning need for warmth and comfort. I wanted to hug Brio, have lunch with the skeletons, and play with Chara. But the violent leanings of before were still hot and heavy in my bones and I felt like vomiting, my Soul unable to handle the violent churn of emotions being brought out inside me. In retaliation, unable to think better of it, I swiped out with my claws, a faint burning sensation in my hands.

It was like a switch was flipped and the wolf lashed out, giant claws batting me into a wall like it was nothing.

  **HP lost!**

**-15**

My head buzzed with static, my thoughts clearing up from pain, finally allowing me to feel _fear_ as the wolf crouched down before me and sniffed at my face. It _reeked_ of decay and death. Blood and something choking, like dust. A whimper slipped out of me and the wolf paused before nosing my neck, licking the back of my head before gripping the scruff of my neck with their fangs. It was like strings were pulled in my limbs, I couldn’t have stopped my legs and paws from curling inward if I tried, even my tails tucked up between my legs. Someone shouted in our direction and the wolf growled, the sound shaking me like thunder and vibrating in my ears.

“Put them down, or I’ll—” The wolf jerked and dashed away, the world a blur as they didn’t seem inclined to stop. They kept their head held high and I wasn’t left with any other option but to wait and see where they were taking me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it certainly has been a while, hasn't it? For the most part, I cycle through my fics, prioritizing whichever one I haven't updated recently, but I've been a bit stuck with a few of my fics and this holiday season is kicking my /ass/. It's mostly an issue of balancing a set timeline I have (Like with Colorful as Hell and it's counterpart, Seeing Fire and Lionhearts in the Night) or reworking my original plans for a fic because I've accidentally gotten a bit of egg on my face and changed things.   
> This wolf dude wasn't supposed to appear until roughly the end of October/November, but my over-eager ass decided to foreshadow him and have him escape with a scent trail to follow. There is /no way in hell/ it should take months for this feral monster to get to Sasha's location. Hence why he's here /now/. Also a few minor changes need to be made to my original plans for this fic, which I'm handling a bit better than Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt, where my focus was thrown off completely and I set it aside for rewritting. I don't know why I'm like this, but occasionally I get so intensely focused on a particular thing that I can't quite seem to think properly and just keep going. If I'm derailed, it's like all my motivation and 'come what may' attitude have deserted me. This problem has only come to my attention in the last few months and I still don't know how to handle it, so if I come at you guys intensely focused on a thing, try not to take it too personally. 
> 
> Anyway, onto a bit less me-focused topics, I'm mostly working on a fic where I just handle one-shot ideas and requests called "But Seriously, What If". At the moment, it's Undertale(and associated aus) based, but it doesn't have to be. It also easier for me to work on because I don't have to worry about continuing a larger story and still get to exercise my creative muscles. So if you like how I write but want to see something in particular, feel free to check it out and request something.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and as usual, feel free to comment here on AO3 or my Tumblr.


	37. Too Late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It gets a bit... gory and generally depressing near the end there, but not beyond what's already been written here. Well, maybe a bit more depressing than before, but Sasha definitely goes into shock. If you're not sure you can handle any of that, leave a comment and I'll update the end chapter note to include a summary. This is a bit of a big character-arc moment for Sasha, or at least the build-up to one.
> 
> Thoughtfully beta'd by FlamingoBlubber

I felt like I was getting whiplash, the incredible urge for violence having bled out into a curious state of compliancy. The strange wolf panted into my fur having ducked underneath a bridge in what appeared to be a park. Occasionally, they’d give me a short grooming, the feeling both disgusting and unnerving. I didn’t try to scramble away, mindful of the sharp claws resting over my legs. Nervously, I cleared my throat.

“So… who are you?” I asked softly, my body tense in the uncertainty of their reaction. I was surprised at the deep, rumbling voice that vibrated against my back.

“Your mother kept us apart for so long, you can’t even recognize me? Celine, baby girl, it’s me, your papa.” He whimpered softly, the high tone entirely unexpected. Celine? I had terrible feeling about that. He licked at my ear as I tried to think. Play along or try to correct him? Correcting him was dangerous, considering his reaction before, but maybe he’s just mistaken?

“I-I don’t recall my ‘papa’ being a wolf, sir.” I meekly responded, hoping that he didn’t snap at me. He paused in the act of grooming my pierced ear, mid-lick, before pulling back. He seemed perplexed at my odd piercing. His claws raised in front of me, clenching and unclenching. Did he… not realize? He sniffed at my fur again before responding.

“…Things change sometimes, baby girl.” He grumbled, “But my heart knows the scent of pack anywhere… my family anywhere.” He corrected himself and a horrible thought occurred to me. Was he like me? Did he used to be human too? But why is he so… off? Why is he so confused? I certainly haven’t been battling fox-like instincts so why does he have problems with wolf instincts?

“That sound… that howl before, I didn’t like it. It made it hard to think.” I phrased my response carefully, certain that magic was involved but never having heard of an area-wide effect like that. He paused, seemingly deep in thought for several moments.

“Yeah… papa wasn’t thinking very well himself. I think… I think I was calling for something.” He mused distantly, “I was so angry. I wanted a fight and I would _have one_. But then I saw you, those eyes, there’s no mistaking them. I’m sorry you inherited your papa’s temper too.” He nuzzled into my shoulder. While all this touchy-feely-familiarity was unnerving, I didn’t feel unsafe. Not really. Just really confused and disconnected. And sad. He thought I was his daughter. I looked up and was surprised that his yellow eyes had faded out. There was still a ring of glowing yellow magic, but I could see his pale green eyes. Briefly, I noted the faint shadow of his Soul, right-side-up like a human. But the surface was cracked horribly and yellow and white magic seeped out like smoke and ooze. As quick as it appeared, it was gone. Feeling bolder, I decided to push him a little.

“Something isn’t right though, isn’t it? You weren’t a wolf before. What happened?” I asked, causing his muzzle to scrunch up into a frown. He narrowed his eyes in confusion.

“I… I’m not sure, baby girl. Somewhere really white. It hurt a lot there, I didn’t like the people—no, the _doctors_. They were cruel, like yours were, keeping me from you like that. I don’t care if your mother demanded it, they should have let me see you. They should have let me say…” He drew back more before shaking his head, but I saw an opportunity and I took it.

“I think there’s something else you’re missing, sir.” I said, not sure if this was a good idea, “I don’t think your daughter was a fox.” Kitsune, but who’s counting? He shook his head before stopping. I could see him thinking hard.

“No… I wasn’t a wolf. And she wasn’t a fox kit. I was human, we both were…” He looked at me closely, as though trying to see through me. As though he was trying to see his daughter’s eyes in a stranger’s face. He jolted backwards, eyes wide in horror, “You! Y-You’re not Celine! You can’t be her!” He let out a low mournful howl, the sound wobbling in my ears before he cut it off. I swallowed hard.

“I-It’s nice to meet you, sir. I’m Sasha.” I whispered, watching as he pulled back, paws covering his face in horror as his eyes flickered yellow and he cried.

“I-I am so sorry, sweetie! I-I didn’t mean to—I thought you were—” He cut himself off, “My baby girl has been gone for a long time… whatever happened to me must have mixed me up something fierce. I can’t… I _hurt_ you!” He hissed in disbelief, tears falling faster.

“It’s okay, you weren’t in a good place—”

“That doesn’t make it right! S-She was right to keep me away, I-I…” He sniffed and shook his head, “After everything I’ve done, I should at least take you back home. Y-You… have a mother and father, don’t you?” Careful of his fragile emotional state, I pat his hand.

“I have a mom, Brio. She took me in after… well this.” I said, gesturing to my body. He looked horrified and _furious_.

“Children! They took children too!” He snarled, yellow magic flooding his eyes before he jerked back, “No! No! I-I can’t be that man anymore! Not after what I’ve done.” He shook as he stood up, his claws trembling as he moved to pick me up before he stopped.

“Sir?” I asked, uncertain as to what was going on.

“I-I’m taking you back home, sweetie. Then I’m doing what I should have a long time ago.” He carefully picked me up, more human than the crazed wolf he was before, “I-I can remember scenting you outside a bakery? Is that close to your home sweetie?” He asked.

“Yeah, my mom and I live above it.” He nodded.

“Okay… I think I can take us back there.” He muttered, absently rubbing his chest with his free hand. As he carefully made his way through alleys and streets, I couldn’t help but ask him.

“So… you remember how you ended up like this?” He stopped, seemingly surprised, “I don’t remember a lot of it. You should tell Captain Alphys what you can remember when we get back, I’m pretty sure she’s investigating it.” He looked confused for a moment.

“Of course someone’s investigating. I’ll make sure to do that before I go… if I can.” He promised, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Faster than I thought possible, I started to recognize the streets. And I _certainly_ recognized Alphys’ voice screeching in the distance.

“If none of you losers get a lead in ten minutes, every last one of you will be doing laps around the district, mark my words!” She screeched. I snorted and patted his shoulder.

“That’s Captain Alphys. I think she’s a bit miffed.” I said lightly. He chuckled, slightly out of breath.

“I can remember being the same way as a sheriff.” He set me down, “Let’s not give them more reason to worry. You go on ahead, I need to take a breather.” He crouched against the wall and I gladly took off out of the alley, just a half block away from my home. I saw mom being embraced by F.D. as Alphys angrily spoke to two monsters. Mom looked devastated. Without thinking about it, I dashed forward.

“Mom! Mom!” I cried out, causing everyone to jerk in my direction. Mom broke away from F.D. and kneeled just in time to pick me up.

“Sasha! You’re okay!” I clutched the back of her dress and nodded, “What happened?”

“It’s really crazy, but mom, he’s just like me!” I babbled, feeling a mix of excitement and horror. Odds are he died like I did. Mom pulled back in confusion.

“What? What do you mean?” Mom asked softly.

“He changed too, but he’s a little… unstable. He needs to talk to Alphys, he can remember more than I can.” I said, grabbing her hand and looking at Alphys, who now stood next to F.D., her features scrunched up in concern, “He needed to sit down for a bit, but he’s over here.” I lead the way back down to the alley. Something shattered like glass and a moment was all I had as we turned the corner.

Where once a giant wolfen figure crouched, a gory mess of blood and gore now rested. The bones were mostly human but some features were twisted to fit a wolf’s structure. Like the head, now bowed and crumbling. The scent hit me hard of blood and thick dust. The bones were caked with blood and withering before my eyes. Small pieces of yellow and white lifted upwards like sparks from the now empty chest. Paws covered my eyes as mom gasped in horror.

I was more right than I had realized. The man was unstable, body and Soul. Neither could take the strain.

I was lifted up into mom’s arms as Alphys ordered the alley to be sectioned off. Distantly, I felt mom comb her paws through my fur. I remember being asked questions, but my ears and tongue were numb to the sensation of answering. The decomposed corpse was all I could see when I closed my eyes. He was like me… but was I like him?

A few hours later, as I laid in bed, I could faintly hear Alphys confirm his identity.

He was a retired sheriff, a failed AA member, and was forty-eight when he went missing in late July. His name was Michael Cromwell and after his body is properly examined, they would bury him next to Celine Cromwell. She was eight when she died a decade ago and the grudge his ex-wife held for him died after seven years of mourning.

I dreamed about whether or not I’d die like Michael, my Soul no longer able to support my body. Would my body decompose so quickly? Would my skeleton be so warped? Would I leave a mess of blood and gore, and so little dust? I jolted away in cold sweat with mom crooning and I felt the truth branded in my Soul. I was an abomination, I was not meant to walk this earth for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit it's been forever! A lot has happened since I last updated! I have a BA in English now and, perhaps if I'm lucky, a full-time job in the next couple of weeks! 
> 
> I just wanted to take a moment and thank you guys for sticking it out with me. I know my focus isn't always that great. I tend to wander off occasionally, but you guys have really helped me grow as a writer. Every bit of feedback I've gotten has just warmed the crooks and crannies of my soul. To be honest, I didn't structure most of my fics very well. No clear roadmap in mind and it has really shot me in the foot when I didn't literally run through the whole thing as fast as possible. I've got two major plot points to get to, maybe three, and not quite a clear idea of how I'm getting there (fucked myself up real good forgetting that school is a thing and world-building/character development can't always be done on the fly without thought). As always, I am open to feedback. Do you love something in my stories? Hit me up, son. Think I could execute a thing a bit better? Hit me up. I have never sighed in exasperation when receiving an alert about a new comment. 
> 
> Feel free to chat in the comments here, or through my Tumblr (same username, blog is called Winter's Grasp). If you thought Cromwell deserved better, that's unfortunate, but I can always fulfill a request for omake material in my other work, But Seriously, What If? Or if you guys just wanted more context, idk if I managed to write him well enough to be sympathetic but definitely flawed (ex-wife had a reason she didn't want him near, and no, it wasn't anything sleazy. He was just a massive drunk in his off time).


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